”Martin Guerre” revival coming in 2024, Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg reveal
© All images are copyright Dan Wooller, 2019
Much-loved musical Martin Guerre may be back and in a refreshed form, it has been revealed by the show’s creators.
The musical was first seen in 1996 in the West End, with frequent new revivals and modified productions appearing over the subsequent years, including a Watermill production in 2007 directed by Craig Revel Horwood.
The show has a book by Claude-Michel Schönberg and Alain Boublil (the writing team behind a little-known musical called Les Misérables), lyrics by Boublil, Edward Hardy and Stephen Clark, and music by Schönberg. It is set in early modern France, and follows the historical figure of the show’s title.
Schönberg and Boublil revealed in an interview with The Age that the show is being modified “very extensively” after the duo revisited the show during lockdown. Librettist Paul Hodge, who has previously worked on the Clinton musical, is also said to have joined the duo.
Plans, as they stand, include a new production in 2024, after Les Mis producer Cameron Mackintosh gave the pair back the rights to the musical. Schönberg has said that the show will be seen “in a very
prestigious theatre”.
In terms of what to expect, Boublil said: “Maybe by giving us that new freedom, we also felt able to look into ourselves and find new possibilities. Claude-Michel has come up with some unexpected music that would not have been in Martin Guerre 15 years ago and I have come up with, I hope, some new psychology and new ideas.”
