Claude-Michel Schönberg (b. 1944) began his career as a singer, writer and producer of popular songs. He wrote the musical score of La Révolution Française (1973), Les Misérables (1980-85), Miss Saigon (1989) and Martin Guerre (1996). He has also supervised overseas productions of Les Misérables and Miss Saigon and co-produced several international cast albums of his three shows.
In 2001, he composed his first ballet score, Wuthering Heights, which was created by the Northern Ballet in 2002. The Pirate Queen, which opened on Broadway in 2007, is his sixth complete score. Marguerite, Claude-Michel’s collaboration with Alain Boublil, Michel Legrand and Herbert Kretzmer, opened in May 2008 at the Theatre Royal, Haymarket. In 2003, Claude-Michel Schönberg married the English ballerina Charlotte Talbot. He is the father of one son and two daughters.
Alain Boublil
Alain Boublil’s (b. 1941) first musical, La Révolution Française, was the first ever staged French rock opera in 1973 in Paris and the start of his collaboration with composer Claude-Michel Schönberg. Their next show, Les Misérables, opened in Paris in 1980 and played there again in 1991 after having in the meantime opened in most of the world’s major cities starting in London in 1985, produced by Cameron Mackintosh. In 2007, Les Misérables celebrated its 22nd anniversary after having been voted Britain’s favourite musical. It opened on Broadway in 1987, winning Alain two Tony Awards for Best Score and Best Book and a Grammy for Best Original Broadway Cast Recording as well as numerous awards all over the world. Les Misérables is still playing in major cities and returned to Broadway in 2006. Alain and Claude-Michel’s musical The Pirate Queen, based on the true story of the 16th-century Irish heroine Grace O’Malley, in the time of Elizabeth I, played in Chicago and on Broadway in 2006 and 2007. Alain and Claude-Michel’s new show, Marguerite, based on The Lady of the Camellias, with music by Michel Legrand and English lyrics by Herbert Kretzmer, is a highly romantic love story set in Nazi-occupied Paris during the Second World War. It had its world premiere at the Theatre Royal, Haymarket, in May 2008.
Jean-Marc Natel
Jean-Marc Natel (b. 1942) studied art at the Beaux Arts in Toulon before turning to poetry and has published two volumes of his poems. In 1968 he moved to Paris where he met Alain Boublil, who introduced him to songwriting with the daunting task of co-writing the lyrics for Les Misérables.
Since then, Mr. Natel has written songs for a variety of artists and, recently, some of his poetry has been set to music by Franck Pourcel.
Herbert Kretzmer
Herbert Kretzmer (b. 1925) was born in South Africa, where he began a career in journalism writing the commentary for a weekly cinema newsreel. He came to live in London in 1954, and has since pursued twin careers as journalist and songwriter. He was the feature writer on The Daily Sketch and profile writer on The Sunday Dispatch.
Kretzmer wrote the book and lyrics for the West End musical Our Man Crichton, which starred Kenneth More and Millicent Martin, and the lyrics for The Four Musketeers, which ran for over a year at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, starring Harry Secombe as D’Artagnan. He also supplied the lyrics for the Anthony Newley musical film Can Heironymous Merkin Ever Forget Mercy Humppe and Find True Happiness? He was the co-lyricist for Kristina which he wrote with Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson (ABBA), premiered at Carnegie Hall, New York, in September 2009.
Mr. Kretzmer’s latest work is Marguerite, written with Michel Legrand, Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg.