Latest version of musical flop better but still not a hit

Old Vic Theatre

Boublil and Schonberg‘s  Martin Guerre got a poor reception when it premiered in 1996 and there have been many unsuccessful attempts to re-launch it ever since. The latest iteration is directed by the Old Vic’s soon to be ex-Artistic Director Matthew Warchus. The critics seemed to agree that it is the best version yet but still not there, ‘there’ being on a par with the creators’ big hits Les Mis and Miss Saigon. Structure was said to be the problem and that has been altered considerably in this chamber presentation in which the story now centres on Guerre’s wife played by a well reviewed Liv Andrusier.

[Links to full reviews are included but a number are behind paywalls and therefore may not be accessible]

4 stars ⭑⭑⭑⭑

‘lean into its pagan excess and heart-on-sleeve emoting, and this is a gripping evening’ said Claire Allfree writing for the Telegraph. She highlighted: ‘The singing – notably Liv Andrusier’s Bertrande, mixing sweetness and steel particularly beautifully on new song Someday – is superb.’ While acknowledging that ‘Warchus’s production is far stronger at emphasising the story’s mythic darkness than fleshing out character psychology’, she pointed out: ‘By staging it so effectively in pocket-sized form, Warchus may have inadvertently made a case for Martin Guerre as a minor piece rather than a rediscovered classic; it’s hard to imagine this iteration of the musical transitioning to a bigger stage. But as the final scenes seamlessly build and build, I was thoroughly seduced.’

3 stars⭑⭑⭑

Alexander Cohen of BroadwayWorld reported: ‘this updated version’s heart remains elusive, but its undeniable charm keeps our blood pumping. The rambunctious music is impossible to ignore, and the tightly choreographed chorus sways and throbs like a shoal of tuna. Rob Howell’s in-the-round wooden set heats it with folktale warmth.’

Tim Bano, writing for Time Out, opined: ‘it is, simply, not a great musical. There are soaring solo melodies, contrapuntal chorus numbers, a sense of a score always bursting at its seams, but only a couple of numbers stand out – the title song and a swelling new anthem called ‘Someday’ – and the result is a restless musical about identity that can never quite find its own.

The Standard‘s Nick Curtis decided: ‘Warchus’s direction, and Rob Howell’s basic design of a circle of benches strewn with red chaff, are succinct and effective. The lighting and the band are crisp. But my god it’s over the top. Everyone here sings with a tremulous, volcanic passion, but on the bus home I realised I was humming the signature number “Martin Guerre” to the “Go Compare” ad jingle (…) Perhaps the story is itself the problem: the very mystery that makes the real-life tale of Martin Guerre so tantalising doesn’t lend itself to an easily resolved narrative. Oh well., Back to the drawing board.’

LondonTheatre‘s Anya Ryan noted: ‘Part of the problem is that Martin Guerre will always be judged against its illustrious siblings. While it has many of the hallmarks of a Schönberg and Boublil musical – multilayered love songs, sweeping operatic melodies, and emotionally charged storytelling – the material itself just isn’t as carefully constructed or momentous. But this production does its very best to breathe fresh excitement into the story. Warchus rips up what has gone before to deliver a delicate chamber piece, leaning into the personal relationships and deep longings at the musical’s core (…) but I was forever questioning what Bertrande was actually thinking, wishing for even a flash more insight.’

Dominic Maxwell of The Times recorded: ‘for all the grandness of the feelings so earnestly expressed on stage, few of them stretched into my part of the stalls. Complexity is good in storytelling, confusion is bad, and for too long I was just clinging on to who was who and what was what and wondering why the cast were daubed with bits of white make-up.’ He ended: ‘I found it intriguing rather than devastating, skilful more than soulful.’

Critics’ average rating 3.2⭑

You can see Martin Guerre at The Old Vic until 31 October 2026. Buy tickets from oldvictheatre.com

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