Martin Guerre (musical)

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Martin Guerre is a musical by Claude-Michel Schönberg (music) and Alain Boublil ( libretto ) from 1996. The musical is based very loosely on thehistorical criminal case of Martin Guerre from the 16th century as well as on thatof François Gayot de Pitaval film the return of Martin Guerre from the year 1982nd

action

The story takes place in the village of Artigat in 16th century France at the time of the Huguenot Wars . The young Martin Guerre is married to Bertrande against his will so that she can have a Catholic heir. When the hoped-for offspring failed to appear and Martin was mocked by his rival Guillaume and the rest of the village population, he fled and went to war as a soldier. Arnaud, a friend of Martin Guerre, who mistakenly assumes that he was killed in the war, visits Bertrande to bring her the news of Martin's death. Arnaud and Bertrande fall in love with each other. Everyone now thinks Arnaud is the returned Martin Guerre. However, Arnaud and Bertrande keep their secret to themselves, and so everything goes well for a while until the real Martin Guerre reappears.

style

The music of the musical follows the tradition of the world successes Les Misérables and Miss Saigon , which come from the same team of authors. Even more than its two predecessors, the musical resembles the well-composed operas of the late 19th century with a complex network of leitmotifs and demanding solo and choral roles.

Versions

A first version premiered on July 10, 1996, directed by Declan Donnellan at the Prince Edward Theater in London's West End . Some bad reviews and the dissatisfaction of the authors with their own work led the producer Cameron Mackintosh to an extensive revision, which was mainly done by the copywriter Stephen Clark . Some new songs were added, some others disappeared. Attempts have also been made to focus Martin's plot on Bertrande. The revised version premiered on November 10, 1996. The reviews were much better, and the musical saw a total of 700 performances in London. In 1999 the work was fundamentally revised for a production by the West Yorkshire Playhouse, which was then continued as a tour production. The storyline was modified so that a large part of the first act was told as a flashback. Nothing of the original libretto has survived. In this version, the religious conflict was emphasized and the Catholic priest replaced Guillaume as the central opponent of the main characters. The score has been re-orchestrated for a much smaller orchestra. The aim of the authors and the new directing team was to reduce the epic breadth and transform the work into a tragic chamber play with a psychological focus. A year later, further, albeit less extensive, modifications were made for the US tour. The negative characterization of the Catholic Church was weakened and the role of Guillaume was revalued. Furthermore, with a view to a planned Broadway production, it was decided to return to a more symphonic sound and to use more string instruments in the orchestra. An experimental special version for a production at the Watermill Theater in Newbury was created in 2007. It takes up elements from all previous versions and is characterized by the fact that the actors also act as orchestral musicians.

success

Boublil and Schönberg were never satisfied with the musical, and a planned Broadway production was never realized. However, the musical toured the United States from 1999 to 2000. Martin Guerre could not catch up with the international success of Les Misérables and Miss Saigon . It is also far less known in the German-speaking world. However, excerpts from the work are occasionally performed in concert and the title "Bethlehem" (an earlier version of "The Holy Fight") has become firmly established in the repertoire of Anglican church choirs.

Musical scenes from the 1999 version

  • 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)