Franz & Marie: Woyzeck Folk Musical Opens at Charing Cross Theatre, London
At the Charing Cross theatre in London, a musical titled Franz & Marie offers a fresh take on Georg Büchner's Woyzeck, a fragmented work that explores a soldier's spiral into insanity. Büchner, who passed away at the age of 23 in 1837, left behind Woyzeck as a collection of disorganized papers that would be meticulously rearranged over time, often damaged by efforts to read his handwriting. This adaptation features a similar number of stained fabric pieces in its stage curtains, accompanied by 27 folk songs that weave the narrative together. The story centers on Franz Woyzeck, a troubled soldier plagued by paranoia and hallucinations, enriched by haunting memories from the battlefield. The songs are described as both captivating and moving, softening the chilling essence of the original work, and the review highlights moments of warmth amidst the darkness.
Key facts
- Franz & Marie is a musical adaptation of Georg Büchner's Woyzeck
- It plays at the Charing Cross theatre in London
- Büchner died aged 23 in 1837
- Woyzeck was left as a bundle of papers ordered and reordered for years
- The manuscript was discoloured by treatments used to decipher Büchner's handwriting
- The musical uses 27 folk songs to thread the story together
- Stained cloth pieces stitched into the stage curtains mirror the play's patchwork structure
- The production adds traumatic battlefield flashbacks to Woyzeck's visions and hallucinations
Entities
Artists
Institutions
- Charing Cross theatre
- The Guardian
Locations
- London
- United Kingdom