...IN LOVE & WAR
A Musical Drama
Set in Occupied France in 1944 and the same place 38 years on, ‘…In Love and War’ is a story of pride and passion, betrayal and corruption in high places. As France undergoes the ordeal of Nazi occupation, when no-one is certain who is collaborating and who is not, two young people, Blanch de Laurette and Henri Dumas, fall in love in terrifying circumstances, working together for the French Resistance. But when Henri is out on a mission of sabotage, Blanch is faced with an agonising decision - one which will blight both their lives, and come back to haunt them almost 40 years later, when Henri has risen to become a defence minister in Mitterand’s government, and conceives a fatal passion for a young woman. Ranging from romance, betrayal and resistance in wartime to the corridors of power, a very modern ministerial scandal and adulterous love, this musical explores just what is the price of love - and the price of success.
...IN LOVE & WAR
A Musical Drama
PRODUCTION HISTORY
Where it began...
This musical began with a germ of an idea at a John Sparks workshop in 1999, and a very rough early version was shortlisted for the Vivien Ellis prize in 2000. An amateur cast staged this version at the 400-seat Wyllyots theatre in Potters Bar, and it was well-received here by packed houses over three nights. A short excerpt of the same version was selected and staged, at the Greenwich (London) Festival of Musical.
ABOUT
The Background & Story
‘…In Love & War’ is a powerful original musical in which love and betrayal in wartime France lead to the heart of a modern political scandal. It is set partly in Occupied France in 1944 and partly in the 1980s, when Mitterand’s Socialists came to power after long years of Gaullist rule. It tells the story of socialist politician Henri Dumas, whose iron-willed determination to fight for his ideals blinds him to the effects of his actions around him – with tragic consequences. Henri is part Othello part Coriolanus – but essentially a flawed hero of our times.
THE SONGS
Setting the scene
"Once you loved me" was added to the show after its first production and happens fairly close to the beginning of Act 2 now set in 1982.
Blanche sees, her now, husband Henri, once again, starting yet again to be unfaithful.
"Until your Country is Free!" occurs near the beginning of Act 1 in 1944 occupied France.