The reviews are in for Martin Guerre, the Boublil and Schönberg musical that Matthew Warchus has cut to 90 minutes and staged in the round as his last production as artistic director of the Old Vic. It tells the 16th-century story of a French villager who returns home after seven years at war, and of the wife, Bertrande, who must decide whether he is really her husband. The critics agree on the cast, above all Liv Andrusier as Bertrande, and most admire the staging. They disagree about the material. WhatsOnStage and London Box Office think the rewrite works; most of the others say it still falls short of Les Misérables and Miss Saigon, and several found the compressed story hard to follow.
3.1 / 5 from 11 criticsThe verdict: fourteen reviews in so far. Eleven carry a star rating: two four-star notices, eight at three stars and one at two and a half, an average of 3.1 out of 5. One outlet publishes no rating, and The Times and The Telegraph sit behind paywalls. The critics split on the show itself, but nearly all of them single out Liv Andrusier as Bertrande.
What are critics saying about MARTIN GUERRE?
WhatsOnStage
“A compelling case for a musical with a complicated past”
Reviewer: Alex Wood
Alex Wood gives one of the two four-star notices. He finds the slimmed-down, interval-free version far tighter than its earlier incarnations, and calls it the best case yet for a show its writers have never stopped rewriting.
“…this trimmed-down revival makes a compelling case for a long-misunderstood work.”
He treats the evening as a showcase for Liv Andrusier, singles out Caroline Sheen, Aaron Lee Lambert and Adam Pearce in support, and wishes only that the production went further into the village’s paranoia.
London Box Office
Reviewer: Stuart King
Stuart King saw the 1996 original and was underwhelmed by it at the time, so he arrives with a point of comparison. The revision wins him over.
“Was it worth stirring the pot? You betcha, without the tiniest soupçons of a doubt.”
He credits the shift of focus to Bertrande, the folkier score and the improved lyrics, and praises the duets between Andrusier and Shane O’Riordan as well as Chris Poon’s musical direction.
The Standard
“Rehashed musical is still over-wrought”
Reviewer: Nick Curtis
Nick Curtis concedes that this version moves quickly, which the 1996 premiere did not.
“…it plays out like a pacy, screamy folk-horror, but one that takes itself far too seriously.”
He likes a few numbers, including “Someday”, and finds the direction, design, lighting and band effective, but the pitch of the performances is too high for him and he notes that the story has no real ending yet.
Time Out
“This radical revamp of the famously troubled ’90s musical is enjoyable but still not that great”
Reviewer: Tim Bano
Tim Bano admires how cleanly Matthew Warchus has streamlined the story and how good Rob Howell’s design looks.
“A cracking cast carries it, too, especially Liv Andrusier’s Bertrande.”
His problem is the material: to him it sounds too much like a weaker Les Mis, with only the title song and “Someday” standing out.
LondonTheatre.co.uk
“Liv Andrusier is the beating heart of this intimate, reimagined musical”
Reviewer: Anya Ryan
Anya Ryan calls the production a big improvement on earlier versions, but still not a match for its writers’ biggest hits, and she found the opening half hour hard to follow.
“…Warchus expresses deep feeling through the simplest of theatrical means.”
She praises Andrusier and O’Riordan, and the lighting by Hugh Vanstone, Luca Panetta and Toby Ison, and judges the evening a fond farewell for its director.
BroadwayWorld
Reviewer: Alexander Cohen
Alexander Cohen thinks the ninety-minute cut rushes the characters to the courtroom, leaving Bertrande as the only fully drawn figure and Guillaume as a cardboard villain.
“So, this updated version’s heart remains elusive, but its undeniable charm keeps our blood pumping.”
He enjoys the music, the choreography and the set, but feels the production missed a chance to say something about witch hunts and tribalism.
Musical Theatre Review
Reviewer: Scott Matthewman
Scott Matthewman finds the story propulsive and the voices strong, though he feels Andrusier’s Bertrande is sidelined as the identity plot takes over.
“…it just struggles to work out that final step from goodness to greatness.”
He picks out Colin Ryan’s Benoit, and gives Warchus credit for trying to rescue a show many people love, even if he only partly succeeds.
Read Scott Matthewman’s full review at Musical Theatre Review
West End Best Friend
Reviewer: Phil Meikle
Phil Meikle finds the new structure more concise and closer in spirit to The Crucible, but most of the songs forgettable, “Someday” apart.
“…they have done everything they can to fix the problem child, Martin Guerre.”
He praises Andrusier, Colin Ryan and Adam Pearce, likes the folklore in the design, and notes that in the round some big numbers are sung with the singer’s back to part of the house.
The Spy in the Stalls
Reviewer: Jonathan Evans
Jonathan Evans found the opening twenty minutes confusing and the characters underwritten at this length.
“The performances are uniformly strong and the singing quite magical and moving.”
He thinks the show is still looking for its own identity, but believes the score is good enough that a solution cannot be far away.
The Reviews Hub
“Fast-paced revival”
Reviewer: John Cutler
John Cutler gives the lowest rating so far.
“The singing is great, but the tone is relentlessly dark, and you may struggle to follow the story.”
He enjoys Lizzi Gee’s choreography and the duets between Andrusier and O’Riordan, but concludes that the material itself is not strong enough.
South London Press
Reviewer: Lizzie Paul
Lizzie Paul publishes no star rating, but hers is the most enthusiastic notice in the set: she prefers this show to Les Misérables.
“The whole cast is fantastic; their voices are nothing short of angelic…”
She enjoys the atmosphere of the staging and urges readers to book.
Production photographs by Helen Maybanks.
Also reviewed by: The Stage (Matthew Hemley, three stars, “Impossible not to be moved by Liv Andrusier’s performance”), The Times (Dominic Maxwell, “Old Vic boss bows out with a very French revival”) and The Telegraph, whose reviews sit behind paywalls.
Our first look at the production in the round has more of the photographs, and this week’s other roundups cover Murder in the Cathedral in Richmond and Disney’s High School Musical at Wembley Park.
Martin Guerre is booking at the Old Vic Theatre until Saturday 31 October 2026.
