The U.S. premiere of Frank Wildhorn and Jack Murphy's musical adaptation of the swashbuckling classic The Count of Monte Cristo begins previews May 6 at Utah's Pioneer Theatre. Tony Award nominee Marcia Milgrom Dodge directs.

Based on the novel by Alexandre Dumas, the musical features music by Wildhorn with book and lyrics by Murphy. The show had its 2009 world premiere in Switzerland. It has been seen across Europe and Asia since then.

Here is the cast: Briana Carlson-Goodman as Mercedes, Brandon Contreras as Danglars, Matt Farcher as Edmund Dantes, Paul-Jordan Jansen as Jacopo, Darren Ritchie as Mondego, John Schiappa as Villefort, Dathan B. Williams as Abbe Faria and Aubin Wise as Louisa Vampa.

In the ensemble: Michelle Blake, Carleton Bluford, Ashley Gardner Carlson, Richard Costa, Abbe Faria, Giovanna Doty, Chase Elwood, Emily Morgan Jeppson, Ava Kostia, Matt Krantz, Jamie Landrum, Jayson LeBaron, Paul Louis Lessard, Christopher Ramirez, Max Robinson, Cameron Smith and Cory Stephens.

The Pioneer production, which runs through May 21, marks the musical's U.S. professional premiere.

Here are highlights from the production:

Musical supervision is by Kim Scharnberg, and the musical director is Michael Sebastian.

Here's how it's billed: "On the very day of his wedding to the beautiful Mercedes, young Edmund Dantes is framed by three men, arrested and thrown into the notorious prison Chateau d’If. Befriended by a fellow prisoner, he plots a daring escape, unearths a secret fortune and returns to Marseilles and Paris disguised as the mysterious Count of Monte Cristo, determined to seek vengeance on the men who framed him."

Tony Award-nominated composer Wildhorn is known for his pop scores to the Broadway musicals Dracula, The Civil War (with lyricist Murphy), The Scarlet Pimpernel and Jekyll & Hyde.

Wildhorn and Murphy were nominated for the 1999 Tony Award for Best Original Score for The Civil War. The two also collaborated on the 2011 musical Wonderland.

Visit pioneertheatre.org.

Here's a look at the 2010 Korean staging.