WHITE ROSE: THE MUSICAL at London’s Marylebone Theatre

Collette Guitart (Sophie Scholl) and L-R Danny Whelan (Christopher Probst), Owen Arkrow (Willi Graf), Mark Wilshire (Kurt Huber) and Tobias Turley (Hans Scholl). Photo Marc Brenner

I knew absolutely nothing about The White Rose prior to this production. It is little known in the UK but its story is heartbreaking and is based on true fact. It is the story of a small group of university students in Nazi controlled 1940s Munich, Germany, who bravely met in secret to write, print and distribute leaflets exposing Hitler’s lies and the Nazi propaganda. For their bravery, they paid the supreme, horrific sacrifice. The White Rose resistance group was a group of idealistic, like minded young people who were prepared to put themselves right in the face of extreme danger at a time of immeasurable horror; symbols of defiance and idealism.

Across the globe, this story that has captured the imaginations of many, not least writer Brian Belding who was so inspired by this true story that he felt compelled to take it to the fore and thus created White Rose: The Musical, now playing at London’s Marylebone Theatre having previously played across the pond off Broadway last year.

I felt compelled to find out more and checked out the US Holocaust museum presentation by Dr Friedberg and the Verhoeven movie. This is a story that must not sit in an archived dusty folder and deserves to be told. And now to the production White Rose: The Musical.

Despite having the very best of intention, White Rose: The Musical did not resonate. It held a score that was unmelodic and tuneless on the whole, valiantly performed by the capable voices of the cast. Directed by Will Nunziata, with a minimal staging of Justin Williams, it all felt soulless and stilted, lacking much needed emotion. Furthermore, why had Belding decided to make this a musical? In doing so it reduced the gravitas that this story so deserved, but perhaps that was because of the inappropriate pop-style score.

The set design was on two levels with a dark, bricked backdrop, typewriter and printing machine at stage centre and some scattered debris. The cast performed generally at the front but direction felt laboured and stilted. For the most part, only six of the cast were fully utilised with the remainder having very little stage time. The prolonged silences, slow speeches and pauses generally rendered this bland, rather than high tension.

The cast of White Rose: The Musical photo Marc Brenner.

A couple of interesting touches, one of which was overplayed. Towards the end of the production leaflets were thrown into the audience, reminding us of how the allies flew over Germany and released over a million of the leaflets. This was effective but then, I wonder, why was it repeated just five minutes later. More pertinent might have been some projections of both Sophie and Hans Scholl, or images of Munich in the war. There was opportunity but it was missed.

White Rose: The Musical has its heart in the right place and brings awareness of these young people whose bravery is beyond words but doesn’t hit the mark or capture the magnitude of what this small group of students so selflessly tried to achieve. The fact that it was a musical detracted rather than enhanced. In its defence and as my final plaudit, it is a story that has earned the right and need to be told and heard and in bringing it to the stage, it 'will not be silenced'.

Running time: 1 hour 50 minutes, plus interval.

Photography: Marc Brenner

LISTINGS INFO White Rose The Musical, playing until 13 April 2025. Marylebone Theatre Rudolf Steiner House, 35 Park Road, London NW1 6XT.