MARGUERITE A musical in 2 Acts with book by Alain Boublil, Claude-Michel Schönberg and Jonathan Kent - inspired by La dame aux camélias by Alexandre Dumas. Lyrics by Herbert Kretzmer. Original French music by Alain Boublil. Music by Michael Legrand Haymarket Theatre, London. Opened 20th May, 2008. Closed 1st November, 2008 SYNOPSIS A love story set in Paris during the Second World War, Marguerite draws inspiration from one of the greatest of romantic novels, La Dame aux Camellias by Alexandre Dumas. Marguerite is the beautiful and notorious mistress of a high ranking German officer. Armand is a young musician half her age who falls obsessively in love with her. Their dangerous love story is played out against the background of Occupied Paris.A love story set in Paris during the Second World War, Marguerite draws inspiration from one of the greatest of romantic novels, La Dame aux Camellias by Alexandre Dumas. Marguerite is the beautiful and notorious mistress of a high ranking German officer. Armand is a young musician half her age who falls obsessively in love with her. Their dangerous love story is played out against the background of Occupied Paris. STORY: Prologue - August 25, 1944. Armand carries Marguerite, who is wearing only a slip. The citizens of Paris attack her; she was once a well known lady of Paris society Act I - March 3 1942. It is Marguerite’s 40th birthday and she is having a party with her friends. Everyone is having fun and is happy to ignore the war as long as the bombs aren’t dropping on them, Let the World Turn. Georges, Marguerite’s old agent, turns up late and, in a frienldy manner, asks Marguerite to get her husband – Otto (a Nazi officer) – to get him some petrol coupons when he arrives. She agrees and Georges gives her a birthday present - a box full of silk stockings which causes a great stir of excitement among the ladies. As everyone is getting more and more merry, even dancing on the piano, Otto enters. He doesn't like this behaviour, but he lets it pass and gives Marguerite a new necklace for her birthday. Dinner is to be served and everyone goes to sit down as Gerges brings the band in. The band members are Armand, his sister Annette, her boyfriend Lucien and their friend Pierrot. Annette, Lucien and Pierrot are resistance members and Lucien objects to playing for a Nazi, but is persuaded to do so. Armand realises he has seen Marguerite sing years before, and that he was captivated. Marguerite is delighted to learn that they are a swing band and encourages everyone to leave the table and dance while Annette sings Jazz Time. Marguerite begins to flirt with all of the men, and loses her shoes with which they jovially taunt her. This enrages Otto who stops the music and begins to accuse Marguerite of being a whore. To calm the situation, Armand, starts to play her biggest hit, China Doll, which he and the guests persude her to sing. An air raid siren sounds, but everyone ignores it since there haven’t been any bombs dropped on Paris yet. Suddenly bombs are heard, the room shakes and the lights dim. Everyone runs off to the shelter except Marguerite. Armand is the last to leave and encourages her to come to safety, but she says she is afraid of the dark. He talks about having seen her before and she tells him he is young and has a whole life ahead of him. He tells her that he can see that she is unhappy although she pretends not to be, and she carefully confesses that she does not love Otto. They move towards each other as if to kiss. Suddenly a bomb blows the French windows out and kills the electricity. In the resulting darkness Marguerite and Armand share a passionate kiss as the all-clear siren sounds. The guests return, shaken but unharmed, and as Armand leaves, he makes Marguerite promise to meet him at the bandstand the next day.
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