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Jean-Paul Guerlain's Partner Says Threatened by Perfumer's Son

Jean-Paul Guerlain's Partner Says Threatened by Perfumer's Son
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Jean-Paul Guerlain's Partner Says Threatened by Perfumer's Son

Jean-Paul Guerlain's Partner Says Threatened by Perfumer's Son

The partner of Jean-Paul Guerlain on Monday accused the famous perfumer's son of waging a "harassment war" against her and of threatening her on several occasions.

Stephane Guerlain, the only son of Jean-Paul Guerlain, was summoned to court in Versailles, outside Paris, by Christina Kragh Michelsen, his father's companion. However, he was not present and was represented by his lawyer, said AFP.

The hearing was the latest judicial episode in the battle between Kragh, a 64-year-old French-Danish woman, and Stephane Guerlain, son of the man who ran Guerlain -- one of the world's oldest perfume houses -- for almost half a century.

Jean-Paul Guerlain, 85, one of the richest men in France, now suffers from Alzheimer's disease. Kragh has been with him since 2005.

Kragh was acquitted last autumn by a court of "neglecting a person incapable of protecting himself". The public prosecutor has appealed against this acquittal.

The woman's lawyer said that Guerlain's son is driven by his hatred for his client and wants to "break her down" by waging a "permanent harassment war".

When Stephane Guerlain "arrives in the house, he follows me everywhere", said Kragh. He takes unilateral decisions such as "turning off the heating" in their property in a Paris suburb, she added.

Kragh has no "financial interest" in staying with Guerlain senior, but is doing so "out of love", said her lawyer Frederic Belot. She has "lost sleep, lost a lot of weight" and suffers from "psychological problems", he added.

Stephane Guerlain's defense team described their client as "an extremely tired man who has been trying for 10 years to protect his father's interests".

The court listened to a recording in which Stephane Guerlain, a lawyer, called Kragh a "bitch" and a "scumbag" and threatened, according to her, to "put her head in a haystack".

Kragh is seeking 70,000 euros ($73,600) in damages.

The public prosecutor's office did not agree with the plaintiff, noting that several of the claims were unsubstantiated.

The court will deliver its decision on Friday.

French luxury giant LVMH took over the Guerlain brand in 1994. Jean-Paul Guerlain remained as master perfumer until he retired in 2002.

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Disney Launches Stage Musical 'Hercules' in London

FILE PHOTO: Buses cross Waterloo Bridge with the City of London financial district seen behind, in London, Britain, March 5, 2024. REUTERS/Toby Melville/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Buses cross Waterloo Bridge with the City of London financial district seen behind, in London, Britain, March 5, 2024. REUTERS/Toby Melville/File Photo
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Disney Launches Stage Musical 'Hercules' in London

FILE PHOTO: Buses cross Waterloo Bridge with the City of London financial district seen behind, in London, Britain, March 5, 2024. REUTERS/Toby Melville/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Buses cross Waterloo Bridge with the City of London financial district seen behind, in London, Britain, March 5, 2024. REUTERS/Toby Melville/File Photo

Disney takes London audiences back to Ancient Greece with its new musical "Hercules", bringing alive its 1997 animation on the West End stage.

Showing at composer Andrew Lloyd Webber's Theatre Royal Drury Lane, the show is inspired by the much-loved Disney film, itself based on the ancient myth.

It follows the titular character and son of Zeus who, upon losing his immortality as a baby due to the plotting Hades, god of the underworld, goes from zero to hero to stop his uncle from taking over.

“It's a myth that reflects contemporary culture and still honors the DNA of (the) animated movie," Robert Horn, who wrote the show's book with Kwame Kwei-Armah, told Reuters late on Tuesday at the musical's press night.

"It's its own new thing and yet fans of the movie will absolutely come and recognize it and love it.”

Central to the show are the five Muses, who sing their way through the story with energetic gospel-like tunes and plenty of costume changes, Reuters reported.

"I think I speak for all of us ... we have idolized these women. We have looked at these women and seen ourselves in times when we weren't really represented," actor Malinda Parris, who plays Calliope, said. "So being able to be that representation for other young girls ... who ... want to be The Muses ... it's living the dream."

The show differs from the movie in several ways, including Hercules' mentor, Phil, no longer being a satyr but a taverna owner.

“The main thing is that he still is there ... to love and support Hercules on his journey," actor Trevor Dion Nicholas said.

"It really is about building this bond between the two of them that kind of builds this paternal relationship that I think we were able to deepen more so than the animated film was."

"Hercules" is the latest Disney stage adaptation in London, showing in the same theatre where the hit show "Frozen" ran up until last year.

It features songs written by Oscar-winning composer Alan Menken and lyricist David Zippel from the animation, including "Go the Distance" and "Zero to Hero", as well as new tunes.