The Count of Monte Cristo

THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO — a two-act musical based on the novel by Alexandre Dumas (father). 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 version of Alexandre Dumas’s celebrated novel The Count of Monte Cristo, presented by composer Frank Wildhorn and playwright Jack Murphy. A grand story of love, betrayal, the pursuit of justice and revenge…

It is no surprise that this popular work, which has captivated readers’ imaginations for more than a century, has attracted artists’ attention. Numerous adaptations of The Count of Monte Cristo have been created and continue to be made, especially film versions. In worldwide 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 played by three performers who differ greatly in their vocal training, vocal timbre, acting experience and psychophysical approach. The director gave them considerable freedom to interpret the role, so Jeronimas Milius, Raimondas Baranauskas and Ramūnas Urbietis portray the Count of Monte Cristo in distinct colours. Karina Krysko and Kristina Siurbytė prepared the role of his beloved Mercedes for the 2014 premiere performances and sang it for ten years. 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 performance unfolds as if in a single breath, as the creative team deftly varies the musical styles and creates a broad emotional palette that highlights the production’s tragic and, at times, comic situations. The impression is heightened by modern technologies used in the set design, lending it a sense of vitality and immense depth.

In this captivating two-act production, nearly 80 singing and dancing performers create almost 40 characters. More than 90 pairs of shoes and 230 costumes have been made, requiring close to 2,000 metres of different fabrics. Many performers change costumes several times. During the performance, a combination of set pieces weighing one and a half tonnes rests on the stage floor. Inventive video projections create an almost 3D effect. The luxurious, stylised 19th-century costumes are embellished with kilograms of Swarovski crystals, along with numerous striking accessories: expensive jewellery, belts, shawls, embroidery and masks. And then there are all kinds of pyrotechnic effects!