Archive for May, 2009
Martin Guerre – The English Version
May 23, 2009 9:41 pm
Martin Guerre had a three year life beginning in 1996, when it opened in London, and ending in 1999 when it opened in New York. During those three years, the team that brought us Les Miserables and Miss Saigon felt good about what they had brought to London. The audiences loved the show and the house was filled. When the show was being readied for New York, something happened. Whether they thought the subject matter would not play well in New York because of the religious nature of the story or whether they thought it just was not glitzy enough for New York, they changed the show and ruined it. Songs were removed and replaced with inferior pieces. The orchestration, perhaps because of the need to use fewer instruments than was the case in London, is no where near as satisfying as that found on the London CD. The story seems to get twisted and lose its way. To me it is just a disaster.
It is fortunate that the London Cast Recording was made. The London recording features a score that is dynamic and beautiful. Like Les Miz, Martin Guerre uses motifs that run through many of the numbers and is heard often in the orchestra parts and used to make the story clearer. The duet Here Comes The Morning between Arnnaud (Iain Glen) and Martin (Matt Rawle) is the most dynamic male duet that I have heard since Lily’s Eyes in The Secret Garden. This follows the title number Martin Guerre (Matt Rawle) that features a dynamic Martin and an equally dynamic orchestra. Arnaud and Bertrande (Juliette Caton) get two wonderful duets in Tell Me To Go and Someone. In addition, there are some chorus numbers that give context to the religious theme of the story and some comic numbers smilair to those found in Les Miz.
I am sure that many having seen Martin Guerre in New York or hear the New York cast recording have never bothered to listen to this London version, but you should. The entire story is found in the progression of songs in this version and the original songs, libretto and score are far superior to the terrible version that was introduced into New York.
If you are a Les Miz or Miss Saigon fan, I urge you to buy this London cast recording……you won’t regret it.
