Franz & Marie

Franz & Marie is a musical adapting Georg Büchner's German tragedy Woyzeck, with songs in an indie raw folk idiom, presented at the Charing Cross Theatre in London.

The production reworks Georg Büchner's classic German tragedy Woyzeck as a sung drama, with music described as indie raw folk. It was first commissioned about twenty years ago by the Korean company Acom, and its creation involved key members of the Kentish underground band The Singing Loins.

The story is set in a late nineteenth-century European folk-tale world. A platoon of young soldiers waits for orders at an isolated outpost after front-line action, and among them is Franz Woyzeck, who is troubled by nightmares since returning from the war. Franz is devoted to his girlfriend Marie and their baby, Georgie; because leave was forbidden during the war, the couple have not been able to marry. The piece deals with class prejudice and toxic masculinity, with dark humour running through it.

The title gives equal billing to Franz and Marie. In this adaptation Marie's role has been developed during the creative process, bringing her into the spotlight beside Franz. Marie is a Japanese actress and singer whose debut album, カヲス, was released in 2016, marking her recording debut internationally.