Martin Guerre (musical)
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| Martin Guerre | |
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| Revised production logo | |
|---|---|
| Music | Claude-Michel Schönberg |
| Lyrics | Alain Boublil, Edward Hardy, Herbert Kretzmer |
| Book | Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg |
| Awards | 1997 Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Musical Award |
Martin Guerre is a musical with a book by Claude-Michel Schönberg and Alain Boublil, lyrics by Boubil, Edward Hardy, Stephen Clark, and Herbert Kretzmer, and music by Schönberg.
Loosely based on the real-life historical figure Martin Guerre and the 1982 film The Return of Martin Guerre he inspired, the story is set in medieval France, where young Martin Guerre is forced into an arranged marriage with Bertrande de Rols in order to produce a Roman Catholic heir. Beaten by the priests due to his failure to consummate the union, he abandons his home to fight the Protestant Huguenots, and it is during the skirmishes that he befriends Arnaud du Thil. Believing Martin died in battle, Arnaud goes to his village to inform Bertrande of her husband's death but, mistaken for the supposedly deceased soldier by the residents, he decides to play along with their error and becomes involved with Bertrande. When she becomes aware of Arnaud's deception, she decides to keep his secret, which sets into motion a series of events that culminates in a trial, imprisonment, and escape - with the assistance of an unexpected hero.
Written in the operatic style similar to the creative team's previous efforts, Les Miserables and Miss Saigon, the bulk of the show is sung, with little spoken dialogue between the musical numbers.
When first approached by Schönberg and Boublil, Cameron Mackintosh, who had produced their earlier works, expressed little interest in producing the project as it existed. Only after several dramatic revisions, in which the character of Guerre became more heroic and greater emphasis was placed on the theme of religious intolerance, did he become enthusiastic about its potential.
Six years in the making, Mackintosh's $6 million West End production, directed by Declan Donnellan and choreographed by Bob Avian, opened on July 10, 1996 at the Prince Edward Theatre. The mostly brutal reviews prompted the producer to examine carefully all the problems and take dramatic action to fix them. While the cast continued to perform the show, the creative team - now augmented by additional lyricist Clark - virtually rewrote it, adding new scenes and songs, shortening the overly long beginning, providing a happier ending, and shifting the focus to Bertrande. The show then went dark for a week to allow the new work to be rehearsed. It reopened on November 10, 1996, and this time the critics were kinder in their assessment, resulting in a run of more than 700 performances.
Despite the better reviews, positive audience reactions, and a Laurence Olivier Award for Best Musical, Boublil and Schonberg never were satisfied with the show. After it closed, and before it started its UK tour, the libretto was rewritten extensively, a number of new songs were added, and many of the original tunes were retitled, repositioned, and/or were given new lyrics. The physical production was trimmed considerably to make it more intimate and less blockbuster.
A planned Broadway opening never materialized, although a touring production traveled throughout the US in 1999-2000.
[edit] Song list of the 1999 UK tour
- Live With Somebody You Love
- Your Wedding Day
- The Deluge
- I'm Martin Guerre
- Without You As A Friend
- The Conversion
- God's Anger
- How Many Tears
- Dear Louison
- Welcome To the Land
- The Confession
- The Seasons Turn
- Don't
- All the Years
- The Holdy Fight
- The Dinner
- The Revelation
- The Day Has Come
- If You Still Love Me
- The Courtroom
- Who?
- All That I Love
- The Imposter Is Here
- The Final Witness
- The Verdict
- Justice Will Be Done
- Benoit's Lament
- Why?
- You Will Be Mine
- How Many Tears
- Live With Somebody You Love (Reprise)
[edit] External links
[edit] Reference
Hey, Mr. Producer! The Musical World of Cameron Mackintosh by Sheridan Morley and Ruth Leon, published in the UK by Weidenfeld & Nicolson and in the US by Back Stage Books, 1998
