Martin Guerre
Old Vic
Playing until 31st October 2026
Photo credit: Helen Maybanks
Review
Forced into a marriage at a young age, Martin Guerre (Dan Hand) runs away from the village and his wife, Bertrande (Bethan Louise Honer), and joined the army to fight for his country. Left without ever consummating the marriage, the young Bertrande endured the hardship and blame from the villagers as the area suffered many years of drought following Martin’s departure. Among the many battles, thinking the now older Martin (Alex James-Hatton) had died, Arnaud (Shane O’Riordan) returns to Martin’s village and takes his identity, life and wife for his own.
The book by Alan Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg highlights the superstitiousness of the 1500s and 1600s, and how people are quick to blame natural disasters on witchcraft and the supernatural. Serving as the anchor for the story, Bertrande (Liv Andrusier) acts as a fortitude of strength, weathering the harsh words from her fellow villagers and pushing back the persistent pursuit of Guillaume (Barney Wilkinson), a jealous man who longed for her hands as she quietly waited for Martin to return.
However, even though the story itself went through some development and more streamlined than previous iterations, Boublil and Schönberg’s book remains complex with too many moving parts. Within the span of this 90-minute one act, we cover Martin’s estrangement and return, identity theft, the villagers’ superstition and Guillaume’s jealousy and his plot to marry Bertrande. Frankly, this is just too much ground to cover and some elements add little to the overarching plot. This is if one can look beyond the fact that a character has changed so much in a few years that no one recognised that it is a different man that has returned.
A truly stellar cast, each one of them pours their heart and soul into their respective character. Even among this exceptional cast, Andrusier stands out as the breakout performer. The way in which she shows her strength and defiance towards the village norm is nothing short of spectacular. Under Warchus’s direction, her every moment shows finesse and purpose. This is complemented by her soaring vocals, which brings the emotions of Schönberg’s music to life. This is especially the case when she clutches onto her baby as she undergoes multiple rounds of scrutiny and verbal abuse by her fellow villagers. This is the fifth time that Andrusier has played a character holding onto a baby, and you can understand why she was cast in this role as she has clearly mastered the craft of it. The strength shown by Andrusier stands up marvellously against Wilkinson’s abusive and sinister character. There is a sense of clashing personalities between the two, and the two actors stand their own, and neither would stand down from the others’ challenge.
Colin Ryan in the role of Benoit, a kind villager with childlike tendencies, is another surprising highlight. His interaction with his beloved puppet, Louison, is sweet and tender, making the innocence of this character all the more believable. Even though I am of the opinion that Benoit as a character adds little to the plot itself, Ryan’s portrayal of the character itself is simply fantastic.
Staged in an in the round style, Rob Howell’s set is assembled by many small parts that could be lifted, shifted and combined in different ways to create different scenarios, including a wedding venue, a dinner table in a tavern and a courtroom. With choreography designed by Lizzi Gee, the use of large blue flags waved to obscure the transition by cast members as they manoeuvre the set pieces create a seamless transition that even some of the better-established sets could not hope to achieve.
Despite improvement to the book and a more simplified plot, it remains more complex than it needs to be. However, the strength of the cast and creativity should not be underestimated.
Creatives
Lyrics and Book: Alain Boublil
Music and book: Claude-Michel Schönberg
Developer and Director: Matthew Warchus
Musical Director: Matthew Jackson
New Lyrics: Annabel Mutale Reed
New Lyrics and additional Material: Paul Hodge
Set and Costume: Rob Howell
Choreography: Lizzi Gee
Lighting: Hugh Vanstone, Luca Panetta, Toby Ison
Sound: Fergus O’Hare
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