Le monde des musicals

Musical (1996)

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Musique: Claude-Michel Schonberg •
Paroles: Alain Boublil • Claude-Michel Schonberg • Edward Hardy • Herbert Kretzmer •
Livret: Alain Boublil • Claude-Michel Schonberg •
Production à la création:

Disons-le tout de suite, Martin Guerre est l'une de nos œuvres favorites. Pourquoi? On n'a même pas envie d'y réfléchir. C'est une œuvre à la fois intime et puissante. La musique est prodigieuse, les paroles sont toujours justes et proches de ce que l'on peut avoir de mieux au théâtre. La scénographie était simple mais soutenait l'œuvre de bout en bout. Un grand musical populaire de qualité, notre référence.

Martin Guerre, a real-life historical figure in the anti-Protestant town of Artigat, is forced into an arranged marriage with Bertrande de Rols in order to produce a Catholic heir. The marriage is unsatisfactory and complicated by the fact that a childhood friend, Guillaume, is secretly in love with Bertrande. When war breaks out with the Protestants Martin is happy to leave for the battlefield, where he befriends Arnaud du Thil, and tells him his story. At this point, the musical begins. Martin disappears, assumed dead in the fighting. Arnaud goes to his village to inform Bertrande of her husband's death but, mistaken for the deceased soldier by the residents, he decides to take on the identity of Martin Guerre. Bertrande decides to keep his secret and the two fall in love. Guillaume, who had hoped for a chance with Bertrande while her husband was away, becomes jealous of the supposedly returned soldier. He discovers that “Martin” and Bertrande are secret Protestants and rouses a mob to attack them. Benoit, the village idiot, steps in to announce that Arnaud is an imposter and not the real Martin Guerre, and he is arrested and tried for deception. A shock witness at the trial is the real Martin Guerre himself, having apparently survived the war. The imprisoned Arnaud is freed by Martin who forgives him for stealing his identity, and recognises Arnaud and Bertrande's love for each other. However, the mob sets the town ablaze and Guillaume stabs Arnaud before he can escape. As Arnaud dies in Bertrande's arms, Martin and Bertrande sing mournfully about love and then separate for good.

ACT ONE
On the Battlefield, 1564
After a fierce battle, Martin and Arnaud reflect on the futility of their lives as soldiers and on their close friendship, and Martin reveals that he was married at fourteen.
In Artigat, seven years earlier
Bertrande, Guillaume, and Martin are playing childishly together when the scene merges into the wedding of Bertrande and Martin, with Guillaume watching on jealously. Martin’s Uncle Pierre and the other villagers forcefully impress upon the young couple the need for a child, an important heir for Catholic Artigat. Protestants briefly appear, and are treated with hostility. Martin’s failure to consummate the marriage is seen as the work of the devil and the cause of the continuing deluge the village is suffering from. Father Dominic publicly whips Martin to release the demons in him. Martin, totally humiliated, rejects Bertrande’s sympathy and decides to leave in search of a new life.
On the Battlefield, 1564
Arnaud persuades Martin that it is time to return to Artigat, and they decide to go together. But the Protestants attack, and Martin is badly wounded saving Arnaud’s life. As he lies dying he asks Arnaud to tell Bertrande he is sorry.
Artigat, 1564
Artigat is suffering from a drought now, and again it is Bertrande’s barren state that is held to blame. In her despair she turns to the more sympathetic covert Protestants and becomes one of them. Father Dominic insists that Bertrande marry Guillaume, but she hates him and refuses, always hoping that Martin will return.
Artigat, three months later
Benoit, the village fool, is out in the fields with Louison, his beloved scarecrow, when Arnaud arrives looking for Bertrande. He tells Benoit his name but when Benoit rushes into the village to tell them a stranger is looking for Bertrande they don’t give him the chance to say who it is and immediately jump to the conclusion that Martin has returned. Bertrande does realise that it is not Martin, but when Arnaud tells her that Martin is dead she decides to let Arnaud stay, which is what the village wants, rather than be forced into marriage with Guillaume. Arnaud takes up village life with gusto, and when the harvest is good they believe it is because of him. Arnaud worries about the deception, but by now he and Bertrande have fallen deeply in love and eventually they allow themselves to make love. Bertrande confesses to him that she is now a Protestant, and Arnaud accompanies her to the Protestant service held secretly in the woods. At the feast Arnaud announces that Bertrande is carrying their child, but Guillaume denounces him as a Protestant and draws a knife on him. In order to save him, Benoit stuns everyone by saying that it is not Martin, and Arnaud is arrested so that he can stand trial. As the curtain falls there is a dramatic glimpse of Martin, alive and on his way back to Artigat.

ACT TWO
Artigat, a week later
Martin is seen wondering if Bertrande still loves him, while Arnaud is in jail believing he is going to die. The court case begins, and the Judge calls for witnesses to identify who the prisoner really is. Nothing is clear, the Catholics and Protestants cause uproar, and the judge has just ruled that there is no case to answer when Martin appears. Bertrande is called to identify the real Martin, but Arnaud then confesses and Bertrande admits that she knew all the time that he was not Martin. The judge sends Arnaud to jail, leaving it up to Martin to decide his fate. Guillaume whips up hatred for the Protestants, inciting violence and ripping Louison apart.
At the Jail
Arnaud tries to explain to Martin that he believed him dead, and although Martin feels betrayed he unselfishly sets him free so that Arnaud and Bertrande can continue to live their lives together.
In the Village Square
Guillaume and the Catholics attack the Protestants and burn the village, many of them dying in the fighting. Guillaume holds a knife to Bertrande’s throat, and Martin and Arnaud both try to distract his attention away from her. As Guillaume is about to stab Martin, Arnaud intervenes and is stabbed instead, saving Martin’s life. Benoit then kills Guillaume with the heavy wooden post that supported Louison. As Arnaud lies dying in Bertrande’s arms, he asks Martin to forgive him and to care for his child. While still proclaiming her love for Arnaud, Bertrande reaches out for Martin’s hand.

Martin Guerre est certainement la comédie musicale de Boublil et Schönberg qui aura connu le plus de changements au cours de ses représentations à Londres et dans ses tournées anglaise et américaine. A peine trois mois après son ouverture à Londres, le spectacle ferme quelques jours pour subir certains changements.

Peu après sa réouverture sort l'album du spectacle. L'ironie du sort fait que l'album sortant peu après les changements, la version du CD est une sorte de croisement entre les deux versions. Le CD ne correspond donc à aucune version scénique.

Les paroles ayant tellement changé pendant les représentations de Londres, on raconte qu'il n'existe pas de livret contenant exactement ce qui se jouait sur scène chaque soir.

Le public n'est pas au rendez-vous de ce nouveau spectacle mais paradoxalement, c'est la seule comédie musicale de Boublil & Schönberg qui remportera l'Olivier Award (équivalent des Molières en France) du meilleur spectacle musical - Les Misérables et Miss Saigon avaient été nominés en leur temps mais avaient perdu au profit respectivement de Me And My Girl et de Forbidden Planet.

Au moment du remplacement de la troupe originale de Londres, on apporte de nouveaux changements au spectacle : une nouvelle chanson faisant son apparition au détriment d'une qui disparait... Mais cela ne suffira pas à sauver le spectacle qui ferme ses portes après 20 mois de représentations.

Ce spectacle, est pour nous, au moins aussi réussi que les deux autres triomphes du couple Boublil-Schonberg, à savoir Les Misérables ou Miss Saigon. Tout est cohérent: les paroles, la musique, la dramaturgie. Pour beaucoup de fans, la seule et unique version de Martin Guerre, c'est celle-ci, celle de Londres. Bien sûr l'histoire est complexe, plus noire encore que Les Miz ou Miss Saigon. Mais les personnages sont savoureux, se découvrant peu à peu dans leur complexité. Il y a beaucoup plus de "non-dits" que dans bon nombre de musicals courants. Il s'agit d'une œuvre à part...

Au moment de la fermeture à Londres, une nouvelle mouture du show est déjà prévue pour partir en tournée dans toute l'Angleterre après deux mois de rodage à Leeds. Cette version, qui voit le jour le 1er décembre 1998, sera plus dans l'esprit de ce que ses créateurs avaient en tête au début du projet.

La version de Leeds connait là ses plus profonds changements depuis les débuts. Les paroles, la musique, et même l'histoire s'en trouvent modifiées. Le spectacle connaît un relatif succès qui lui permet de tourner quelques mois dans le Royaume-Uni.

C'est sur cette version qu'est basée la tournée qui traversa quelques grandes villes des Etats-Unis. Malheureusement, Martin Guerre ne trouvant pas de théâtres sur Broadway ayant la capacité d'accueillir un tel spectacle, la tournée n'ira pas jusque là-bas. Mais Martin Guerre n'a pas encore dit, espérons, son dernier mot et nous réserve très certainement bien d'autres surprises.

Aucun dossier informatif complémentaire concernant Martin Guerre

Aucun dossier informatif complémentaire concernant Martin Guerre