The Old Vic has released production photos from Martin Guerre, Matthew Warchus's in-the-round reworking of the Boublil and Schönberg musical, which plays until 31 October.
The pictures, taken by Helen Maybanks, give a clear view of a production the Old Vic has pitched somewhere between a concert and a full staging. It is billed as a preview run of semi-staged performances, played in the round for five weeks only, and it is the last show Matthew Warchus directs as the theatre's artistic director. His musical credits already include Matilda the Musical, Groundhog Day and Pride.
Martin Guerre has rarely stood still. Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg, the writing team behind Les Misérables and Miss Saigon, saw it win an Olivier Award after its 1996 premiere, then went on adding, cutting and rewriting numbers for years afterwards. This version draws on that history but brings in new songs, new lyrics from Boublil, Annabel Mutale Reed and Paul Hodge, and fresh folk-tinged orchestrations by Tom Curran.
The story comes from a real case. In 1548 a teenage peasant named Martin Guerre disappears from his village in France, leaving behind a young wife; when he turns up again years later as a grown man, the consequences threaten to split the community apart and end in a trial. This telling moves his wife, Bertrande, to the centre, caught between her marriage and a strict, God-fearing village.
Liv Andrusier plays Bertrande, with Alex James-Hatton and Shane O'Riordan both credited as Martin. The company also includes Caroline Sheen as Madame de Rols, Colin Ryan as Benoit, Barney Wilkinson as Guillaume, Mathew Craig as Pierre, Adam Pearce as Father Dominic and Aaron Lee Lambert as the Judge. Dan Hand, Bethan Louise Honer, Eli McFarland and Oliver Payne play Young Martin, Young Bertrande, Young Benoit and Young Guillaume respectively. The ensemble is Monique Ashe-Palmer, Mali Wen Davies, Daniel Forrester, Grace Galloway, Chris Jenkins and Gabriella Stylianou, with Becca Francis and Nathaniel Purnell as swings.
Warchus, who developed the new version as well as directing it, works with set and costume designer Rob Howell, choreographer Lizzi Gee, lighting designers Hugh Vanstone, Luca Panetta and Toby Ison, and sound designer Fergus O'Hare. Chris Poon is musical supervisor and Matthew Jackson musical director, and casting is by Will Burton for Grindrod Burton Casting. The production is supported by Backstage Trust.
The performance runs at around 90 minutes with no interval and is recommended for ages 12 and over. Audio-described, BSL-interpreted, captioned and relaxed performances are all scheduled for the final week, including a relaxed matinee on Saturday 31 October at 2.30pm.
Martin Guerre is booking now at the Old Vic until 31 October 2026.
