First look at production photos for FRANZ & MARIE

Shehrazade Zafar-Arif 1 October, 2026, 15:26

We've received our first look at production photos for the premiere of Franz & Marie, which is now playing at the Charing Cross Theatre.

Brenock O’Connor and Jade Oswald in Franz & Marie. Photo provided by production

Based on Woyzeck, a famously unfinished 19th century play by German dramatist Georg Büchner, Franz & Marie is set in a twisted world inspired by European folklore. Traumatised Franz Woyzeck, a man tormented by nightmares from his experiences in the war, is consumed by hallucinations that blur the line between reality and trauma. As his platoon continues to remain stationed at an isolated outpost, he is driven to desperate measures to protect his girlfriend Marie and their baby.

With a book & lyrics by Chris Broderick, Franz & Marie was originally commissioned two decades ago by the award-winning Korean company Acom and created by key members of the Kentish underground cult band, The Singing Loins. This new production is freshly adapted from the original by Teresa Howard with additional music arrangements and orchestrations by Steven Edis. It sets out to reimagine the original story to explore contemporary themes of class prejudice and toxic masculinity, set to a score of soul-rattling Indie raw folk music.

Michael Oakley directs, with music by Rob Shepherd and Chris Broderick (The Singing Loins). Brenock O’Connor and Jade Oswald lead a 14-strong actor-musician company as Franz and Marie respectively. They are joined by Steve Simmonds as Sergeant Ursid, Paula James as Zella, Richard Emerson Gould as Doctor Simian, Matthew Heywood as Drum Major Varg, Max Alexander-Taylor as André Schmitt, Mark Meadows as Captain Peccary, Eve Polycarpou as Vashti, Elaine Hua Jones as Kat. The company is completed by Antony Lam, Anna-Marie Piazza, Emily Panes and Tom Aubrey.