The NYMF debut received glowing notices, praising it as having "a phenomenal, operatic score" and being "first and foremost an emotional experience that will keep you on the edge of your seat from beginning to end".

It featured a cast of 54 including B.A.P's Daehyun and BTOB's Changsub[8] alongside Korean musical theater stars Lim Tae Kyung, Michael Lee, Han Ji Sang and Summer Jeong.

It was directed by Richard Ouzounian, orchestrated by Kim Sungsoo (the artist known as 23 who wrote the iconic theme Pink Soldiers from Squid Game (soundtrack)), produced by Show Media Group, and performed in Korean.

[11] It featured an international cast from France (leads and ensemble) and Korea (dancers and chorus), and was performed in French with Korean subtitles.

The cast included John Eyzen (Napoleon/Lucien), Chiara di Bari (Josephine), Tatiana Matre (Josephine/Thérèse), Christophe Cerino (Talleyrand), Jerome Collet (Talleyrand/Barras), Romain Fructuoso (Lucien), Emilien Marion (Anton), Pierre Etienne (Anton/Paoli/Barras), Anne-Marine Suire (Clarice), Mathilde Fontan (Clarice/Ensemble), Linda Latiri (Thérèse/Ensemble), Antoine Lelandais (Fouché), Eloi Horry (Garrau), Nollane (Henri), and ensemble Elisa Lys, Camille Viel, Lucas Mong-Mane, Gauthier Herbin and Rémi Torrado.

It is told through the eyes of an unreliable narrator, Talleyrand, a Machiavellian career politician who latches onto the young Napoleon’s rising star and places him on the throne of an empire vaster than Rome.

NAPOLEON’s inability to command shocks his MARSHALS who beg him to give the order to advance but can only watch helplessly as their troops are slaughtered (“Waterloo Opening”).

The king has just been beheaded, law and order are non-existent, and a corrupt government led by the debauched PAUL BARRAS is squandering the Revolution’s promise (“A Place Like Paris”).

Napoleon meets Talleyrand, who is miserable in his job as Barras’ senior minister and relentlessly mocked for his physical infirmity – a withered leg which requires him to use a cane.

Napoleon’s brilliant defense of Toulon is a stunning success and Talleyrand introduces his rising star to Parisian society, making him the toast of the town.

He counsels his protégé to forget Rose and uses his two henchmen, FOUCHÉ and GARRAU, to foment an uprising that Napoleon will be called upon to quell, making his dismissal impossible (“Vendémiaire”).

Lucien and Henri are shocked by the brutal tactics Napoleon employs to stop the uprising – using cannons on the protesters – but Barras is pleased and rewards him with a promotion that will send him away: the command of France’s Alpine border forces.

Napoleon wins them over with a rousing appeal that begins as quiet words of encouragement to a terrified young soldier named ANTON the night before the battle (“The Dream Within”).

Lucien prints pamphlets to whip up the masses, Anton helps distribute them, and Henri agrees to give Napoleon the support of the army but cautions him not to abuse his trust.

Henri’s daughter, CLARICE, meets and falls in love with Anton in the thrill and danger of the building plot which leads to the storming of the government council chamber (“The Eighteenth of Brumaire”).

Installed in the Tuileries Palace, Josephine berates Napoleon for his crassness and lack of table manners after a mortifying state dinner with the Emperor of Prussia.

This is quickly revealed to be his fantasy – Josephine has survived – but the assassination attempt was real, and it prompts Talleyrand to advise Napoleon to enshrine his power in a dynasty and become emperor.

As the crown is about to be placed on Napoleon’s head, we are privy to his thoughts and get an ominous glimpse of where absolute power will take him (“Sweet Victory Divine”).

Months later, Napoleon has yet to confront Josephine with what he knows, but upon returning home from an imperial tour to a ball in celebration of the empress’ popularity, he can’t bring himself to dance with her (“Our Lady of Victories”).

Barras contacts Napoleon from prison to reveal that Talleyrand was involved in Josephine’s miscarriage, and in a flashback we witness the events at Plombières from a different perspective.

Russia breaks its treaty with France, and an unhinged Napoleon announces his plans to march on Moscow, a vision that spirals out of control into delusions of world domination (“The Last Crusade”).

Talleyrand realizes that in turning Napoleon away from those he loved, he failed to see “the one great truth” – that life is relationships: without them we are broken (“Finale”).

Film highlights include Wild Horses, written and directed by Robert Duvall, (Robert Duvall, James Franco and Josh Hartnett), Walking With the Enemy (Ben Kingsley), I.T., directed by John Moore and starring Pierce Brosnan, The Mulberry Tree (Joe Morton), Red Sky (Rachael Leigh Cook and Bill Pullman), Debug (Jason Momoa), and Beyond All Boundaries (Tom Hanks, Brad Pitt).

For Disney and Universal, his live theatrical works include adaptations and orchestrations of Aladdin (book by Chad Beguelin), Wicked (for Tokyo), Tangled - The Musical and thirty other shows directed by Gordon Greenberg, Joe Calarco and Eric Schaeffer.

Andrew Sabiston is a writer, series developer, executive story editor and performer in the children's/youth television market with over 1200 episodes to his credit.

Many of the programs in which he has been involved are multiple award-winners airing globally and include: Little Bear; Max & Ruby; Mike the Knight; Arthur; Justin Time; Trucktown; Bo On the Go; My Big Big Friend; The Moblees; Little Charmers; The Adventures of Napkin Man; Donkey Kong Country, The Neverending Story; Droids, Super Mario Brothers; Harry and His Bucket Full of Dinosaurs; Babar and Badou, and The Travels of the Young Marco Polo.

[16] 1993 - The Act One finale "Sweet Victory Divine" was covered by Stig Rossen on his album The Impossible Dream[17] as well as on the live album Live in Concert (med Sønderjyllands Symfoniorkester) (1994)[18] 1994 - The original cast recording of Napoleon was released by EMI Broadway Angel and featured 18 tracks from the show performed by the original Canadian cast from the Toronto production.

1994 - A pop single version of ‘On That First Night - Love Theme From Napoleon’ recorded by Dan Hill and Rique Franks, and produced by John Sheard was released to radio.

[22] 2008 - Adam Brazier performed "Sweet Victory Divine" on Field of Stars (Volume 2), Songs of the Canadian Musical Theatre, produced by Jim Betts.

[24] 2023 - Chiara di Bari released "La Première Fois", the French adaptation of the Napoleon and Josephine duet "On That First Night" on her album, Delen.