The Count of Monte Cristo

THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO
A two-act musical based on the novel by Alexandre Dumas (père)
Music by Frank Wildhorn
Book and lyrics by Jack Murphy
Orchestration and arrangements by Kim Scharnberg and Koen Schoots
Premiere: 7 March 2014

For the first time on a Lithuanian theatre stage, a musical adaptation of Alexandre Dumas’s celebrated novel The Count of Monte Cristo, created by composer Frank Wildhorn and playwright Jack Murphy.

A grand story of love, betrayal, the pursuit of justice and revenge… It is no wonder that this popular work, which has continued to captivate readers’ imaginations for more than a century, has caught the attention of artists. Numerous adaptations of The Count of Monte Cristo have been created and continue to be made, especially film versions. In the world of musical theatre, however, there are only a handful. One of them is the musical by American composer F. Wildhorn, who works on Broadway.

In Kaunas, the role of the Count of Monte Cristo has been performed by three actors with very different vocal training, voice timbres, acting experience and psychophysical qualities. The director gave them considerable freedom to interpret the role, so the Count of Monte Cristo portrayed by Jeronimas Milius, Raimondas Baranauskas and Ramūnas Urbietis is painted in different colours. The role of his beloved Mercedes was prepared for the 2014 premiere performances and sung for ten years by Karina Krysko and Kristina Siurbytė.

In 2025, a group of debut performers joined the production: Mercedes — Ingrida Kažemėkaitė, Valentina — Viktorija Zeilikovičiūtė, Albert — Martynas Stankevičius, Jacopo — Rokas Laureckis, and others.

The show unfolds almost in a single breath, as the creative team skilfully varies its musical styles and creates a broad emotional palette that brings out the production’s tragic and, at times, comic situations. Contemporary technologies used in the set design add a sense of vitality and immense depth.

In this captivating two-act production, nearly 80 singers and dancers portray almost 40 characters. More than 90 pairs of shoes and 230 costumes were made, requiring nearly 2,000 metres of different kinds of fabric. Many performers change costumes several times. During the performance, a combination of set pieces weighing one and a half tonnes bears down on the stage floor. Ingenious video projections create an almost 3D effect. The luxurious, stylised 19th-century costumes are embellished with kilograms of Swarovski crystals and numerous other striking accessories — expensive jewellery, belts, shawls, embroidery and masks. And then there are all kinds of pyrotechnic tricks!