Franz & Marie Review: Woyzeck Folk Musical Balances Horror and Heart

The "Franz & Marie" folk musical, staged at the Charing Cross Theatre in London, offers a new interpretation of Georg Büchner's "Woyzeck," a fragmented masterpiece completed posthumously in 1837. The production utilizes a patchwork aesthetic, mirroring the play's disjointed nature with 27 folk songs that weave through the narrative and occasionally temper its inherent horror. The musical focuses on the tragic descent of Franz Woyzeck, a soldier plagued by madness and suspicion towards his partner, Marie. The production expands upon Büchner's original text by exploring the inner lives of both Franz and Marie, as suggested by the romantic first names in the musical's title. In Büchner's original work, Woyzeck experiences visions and hallucinations. The musical adaptation incorporates these elements alongside traumatic battlefield flashbacks, establishing Franz as a war hero. This backstory provides Marie with a more nuanced perspective, allowing her to see a potential for past vigor in the drum major, Varg, who aggressively pursues her. While the original play depicts an affair between Marie and the drum major, the musical's Marie actively resists Varg's attempted rape. The narrative then pivots to focus on the damaging impact of rumors of infidelity, which serve to accelerate Franz's psychological unraveling and descent into frenzy. The musical's approach to the source material, particularly its expansion of character motivations and the introduction of a more active role for Marie in resisting assault, distinguishes it from Büchner's original, which was compiled from "two dozen scenes, with a handful of extra fragments." The staging itself reflects this fragmented theme, with numerous stained pieces of cloth stitched together to form the stage curtains, visually reinforcing the piecemeal nature of Büchner's text and the extensive efforts made to decipher his handwriting, which had been discolored by preservation treatments. The musical's score, comprising 27 original folk songs, is noted for its enchanting and stirring qualities, providing moments of emotional resonance that stand in contrast to the stark terror of the underlying story. This musical adaptation, by seeking to foster a deeper understanding of both Franz and Marie, attempts to find the heart within the horror of Büchner's enduring tragedy.