Cameron Mackintosh not involved with the new production, planned for London 2024
The creators of Les Misérables, Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schoenberg, are planning a completely new version of their musical Martin Guerre.
Schoenberg told The Age newspaper in Australia that they came back to the 1996 West End musical during the Covid lockdowns, with new ideas for the show. “Maybe because of this period, when you have to do something and can do nothing else, we started having new ideas. Or maybe because we got older, I don’t know. Anyway, we have been rewriting very extensively”.
There are plans for this new version of Martin Guerre to be staged in London in 2024 “in a very prestigious theatre”, said Schoenberg. No venues have been announced, but theatres believed to be in the running include the Old Vic theatre, run by Matthew Warchus.
The show’s original producer, Les Miserables, Miss Saigon and The Phantom of the Opera producer Cameron Mackintosh, is not involved with the new production.
Boublil said: “I must add he [Mackintosh] very graciously gave us back the rights. 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.”
Boublil has also been working with a new librettist on the rewrite, Australian Paul Hodge (Clinton: The Musical).
Martin Guerre originally premiered at the Prince Edward Theatre in London in 1996, directed by Declan Donnellan and choreographed by Bob Avian. It opened to poor reviews, and a number of early rewrites were made post-opening, including closing the show for 4 days to make changes. The show went on to win Best New Musical and Best Choreography at the 1997 Olivier Awards, but closed on 28 February 1998 after 675 performances.
Boublil & Schoenberg will be travelling to Australia later this month ahead of a new concert of their music called Do You Hear the People Sing?, playing the Arts Centre Melbourne (27 – 28 September 2022) and Sydney Opera House (30 September – 2 October 2022). It is the first time the pair have been in Australia since the original Australian version of Les Mis in 1987.
More about Martin Guerre in London
Book tickets to Les Misérables at the Sondheim Theatre in London.
