Franz & Marie: Full Cast Announced for Woyzeck-Inspired Musical at Charing Cross Theatre
Casting has been confirmed for Franz & Marie, a new musical that reimagines Georg Büchner's 19th-century German tragedy Woyzeck with a feminist twist, placing Marie alongside Franz Woyzeck at the centre of the story. The production runs at London's Charing Cross Theatre from 28 September to 14 November 2026, produced by Fillingham Weston Associates Charing Cross Theatre.
Brenock O'Connor and Jade Oswald will lead a company of 14 actor-musicians, according to WhatsOnStage WhatsOnStage. The full cast includes 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 and Elaine Hua Jones as Kat. The company is completed by Antony Lam, Anna-Marie Piazza, Emily Panes and Tom Aubrey.
The score has a long history. It was originally commissioned by Acom and created by Chris Broderick and Rob Shepherd, who are members of the band The Singing Loins. Their adaptation of Woyzeck was staged at the LG Arts Center in Seoul in 2014 before being reimagined for this production.
Broderick writes the book and lyrics, with music by Shepherd and Broderick. Teresa Howard provides the new adaptation, and Steven Edis contributes additional music, arrangements and orchestrations. Michael Oakley directs, with choreography by Ben Wright.
Büchner's Woyzeck — a fragmentary play left unfinished at the playwright's death in 1837 — follows a soldier driven to murder by poverty, military cruelty and medical exploitation. The Charing Cross Theatre show page describes Franz & Marie as a musical that breathes new life into the classic text by shifting Marie from the margins to the heart of the narrative.
For audiences, the draw is a cast that plays instruments as well as acting — a format that keeps the staging intimate and the music live within the auditorium. The Charing Cross Theatre, a 265-seat venue beneath The Amba Hotel at Charing Cross station, is one of London's smaller commercial houses, suited to productions that rely on ensemble work rather than spectacle.
Tickets are available through the Charing Cross Theatre website. The production opens on 28 September and plays a seven-week run through to 14 November.
