Martin Guerre??

[GretchaSketh]

Posted: 6/27/04 at 9:08pm

Did Martin Guerre ever make it to Broadway? I saw it in London when it first came out but I didn't follow it much. Did it ever get to New York?

[Musetta1957]

Posted: 6/27/04 at 9:14pm

No, it didn't.

[spiderdj82]

Posted: 6/27/04 at 9:16pm

Does anyone have the CAST RECORDING? See, luvtheemcee....I am getting better Anyway, if anyone does have the recording, is it worth getting?

[GretchaSketh]

Posted: 6/27/04 at 9:19pm

I have it. I like it. I don't think it is the BEST musical ever but it is good.

[guttertanzer]

Posted: 6/27/04 at 9:19pm

I have the Original London Cast Recording. I think it is very good. Much better than the "New" version.

[Musetta1957]

Posted: 6/27/04 at 9:32pm

There are two cast recordings. I think the score is stronger on the second, but the cast is stronger on the first.

[EponineThenardier]

Posted: 6/27/04 at 9:32pm

I have both. I really like them, yeah and I would agree that neither are the best musicals out there. But they are better than some that have actually gotten to Broadway.

I would love Boubil and Schonberg to write another musical. Unless they are dead and I didn't know.

[Musetta1957]

Posted: 6/27/04 at 9:35pm

Schönberg's last work was without Boublil -- it was the music for the ballet version of "Wuthering Heights."
http://www.ballet.co.uk/magazines/yr_03/apr03/bm_rev_nbt_0303.htm

[Borstalboy]

Posted: 6/27/04 at 9:50pm

Seems to have gone the way of WITCHES OF EASTWICK and WHISTLE DOWN THE WIND...is the English mega-musical over????

[spiderdj82]

Posted: 6/27/04 at 9:54pm

I have never heard WITCHES OF EASTWICK, but I love WHISTLE DOWN THE WIND. I know I am in the minority here, but I hope Webber never dies. I can't wait until they come out with a WOMAN IN WHITE recording. Keep them coming my man. Keep them coming.

[JohnPopa]

Posted: 6/27/04 at 9:55pm

The last English 'mega musical' to hit was 'Miss Saigon' in 1991. The era ended forever ago. I can't believe people still act like Cameron Mackintosh has a chokehold on Broadway (not implying YOU'RE saying that BorstalBoy at all.) But there's still people wandering around acting like they're trying to fend off the British invasion, even though they stopped invading when I was still in high school and I've been to my 10th reunion in the interim.

[Borstalboy]

Posted: 6/27/04 at 10:01pm

Well...there is BOMBAY DREAMS...

[spiderdj82]

Posted: 6/27/04 at 10:02pm

I saw it in London and it was really good. And the recording is one of those cds that you put in just to sing and dance to.

[bob8rich]

Posted: 6/28/04 at 4:35am

Re: "Martin Guerre": I saw both versions - the West End production and the UK national tour re-write - and have both CDs. I really liked both - the music is fantastic! - and found it hard to choose between them as they both had differing strengths and weaknesses in book and score. I'm not sure I agree with Musetta that the cast was better in the original version. I think that Ian Glenn (an actor rather than a singer) was miscast as Arnaud and does not do the songs justice on the recording - and the revised version has some stunning vocals from Joanna Riding as Bertrande, Matthew Cammell as Arnaud and Stephen Weller in the title role.

Re: the demise of the British "mega musical":
I wonder what constitutes a "British" musical. Borstalboy refers to "Witches of Eastwick" as a British show. I know it was a Mackintosh production but the score is by Americans - John Dempsey and Dana Rowe. (I loved this show btw!)

And then there is the recent Broadway "hit" show "Aida", which is produced by Disney but has a score by Britain's Elton John and Tim Rice.

And both "Les Mis" and "Miss Saigon" are considered British shows but are really French!

Maybe it's wrong to categorize anything!

[jo]

Posted: 6/28/04 at 4:37am

I saw this in London ( with Iain Glen, the actor who also appeared with Nicole Kidman in THE BLUE ROOM at the Donmar) and I thought it would transfer to Broadway. Perhaps not too many know that it is based on a classic French tale ( which also became the basis for the movie SOMMERSBY with Richard Gere and Jodie Foster) of the story of Martin Guerre. The theme of bigotry and religious persecution underlie this tale of someone who came back from the dead. I like the musical style of Boublil and Schonberg ( they do prefer to musicalize sweeping historical or fictional dramas) and I found the show very absorbing.

[jo]

Posted: 6/28/04 at 4:53am

Miss Saigon is French ? Uhmm...the composers may have been French and the setting was Vietnam where they spoke French ... but I think it is more the story of the American conflict and dilemma during and after the Vietnam war. Perhaps many Americans found that the story might have struck a chord with many who were affected by that war.

The production, though, was staged in England by Brit director Nick Hytner ( now in charge of the Royal National Theatre) and except for Jonathan Pryce and Claire Moore, with mostly Asian lead actors ( our Lea Salonga and our Monique Wilson and a few other Filipino stage actors) - so it is a rather complicated musical in terms of racial origin

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 6/28/04 at 1:20pm

I have both recordings. I think the score to the first version is far superior to the second with the exceptions of Why and How Many Tears. The orchestrations in the second are not good and many of the songs are at a sluggish tempo. I believe there was a small US tour of the second production that played Detroit, but I don't know where else. I would love the opportunity to see the show staged well.

[BlueWizard]

Posted: 6/28/04 at 9:52pm

Oh, Martin Guerre....

I remember when the 2nd-version of Martin Guerre was touring in the US in anticipation for an opening in New York. The reason it didn't make it to Broadway, however, was strictly because all the Broadway theatres were already booked that year (I think it was 2000?). Cameron Mackintosh had every intention of bringing it to New York, but they were plagued with bad luck. I was really disappointed when I heard the news, because I was really excited about the show - Boublil & Schonberg are still my favourite writing team.

Martin Guerre has an odd history: it initially opened on the West End to bad reviews, then took a hiatus for major rewrites. When it reopened, it received glowing notices and won the Laurence Olivier award for Best Musical that year. (The first cast recording reflects the period between the first and second openings). But the bad word-of-mouth from the first run completely killed the much-improved revision.

The creative team then completely reworked the show for a 1999 UK tour - it was paired-down extensively, melodies were reworked and moved around, and the new was a much more modest occasion. (The 2nd cast recording of Martin Guerre reflects this production.) This was the one that also enjoyed a short tour in the US, before being stifled after a Broadway opening was no longer possible.

I have both cast recordings. I enjoy the first one more: it has fuller orchestration and 'Working on the Land' is a gorgeous, rousing cast number that is missing from the second recording. The narrative also feels more satisfying, though I've heard that the second production was actually better in performance. The recording for the second production, though, has really a strange, minimalist orchestration; melodies from the first show get completely new lyrics and are performed at different parts of the show, which is jarring if you know the first recording really well. But the new songs, 'How Many Tears' and the duet 'Live with Someone You Love,' are lovely.

Updated On: 6/28/04 at 09:52 PM

[EponineThenardier]

Posted: 6/28/04 at 10:13pm

I love "Live with somebody You Love" Also I love the ending part of the song "God's Anger" soooo cool!

[musicaltheatreman]

Posted: 6/28/04 at 10:19pm

dont forget that chitty chitty bang bang will be coming to broadway and that is a big british musical and then mary poppins when that come over to the U.S.

[BlueWizard]

Posted: 6/28/04 at 10:38pm

Why didn't Witches of Eastwick make it across the pond? Was it a big hit in London? I know it received a whole lot of attention.

[jo]

Posted: 6/29/04 at 1:12am

Michael Ball has a gorgeous duet of LIVE WITH SOMEBODY YOU LOVE with Marie Zamora who happens to tbe the wife of Alain Boublil.

Hopefully, Michael comes over with CHITTY when the flying car crosses the pond

[Eastwickian]

Posted: 6/29/04 at 9:40am

The Witches of Eastwick has so far not made it past a reading at the Manhatten Theatre Club last year. Though the revised production was well recieved by the critics in London, it didn't find the weekday audience it needed. Then the planned tour of Australia was cancelled after the first engagement and lost a lot of money, so I'm not sure whether it would be financially viable in the US. There are certainly no concrete plans at the moment As far as I know the Russian version is doing quite well, but has been significantly 're-imagined' (to put it kindly) and is not a hands on production from Cameron Mackintosh.

As for Martin Guerre - you had the fifth version in the US. The first version opened to fairly bad reviews in London. It had a revamp, and got better reviews but still not an audience. More changes were made, but it closed after 18 months. Then a significantly revamped (and critically acclaimed) version toured the UK (though it never made it to the West End). This version, with more lyric changes toured the US, but never got to Broadway.

Cameron Mackintosh isn't having much luck recently . . .

[Eastwickian]

Posted: 6/29/04 at 9:40am

Sorry, was a double post Updated On: 6/29/04 at 09:40 AM

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 6/29/04 at 10:24am

Cameron had decent success with My Fair Lady and no doubt Mary Poppins will do well.