Aussie Bevis is new Martin Guerre

Australian-born actor/singer Andrew Bevis will play the title role of Martin Guerre in Craig Revel-Horwood's re-invention of the Boublil and Schonberg musical at the Watermill Theatre Newbury from July 11 to September 1. Having begun his career as a musician and musical director, Bevis first gained attention down under as a musical theatre performer when he was cast in a revival of "Hello Dolly", playing alongside Warren Mitchell and the grande dame of Australian musical theatre, Jill Perryman. In the West End he has played star-crossed lover Romeo in the ill-fated Gerard Presgurvic/Don Black musical "Romeo and Juliet", Marius in "Les Miserables" and wowed audiences as the "chick with a dick" in "Jerry Springer, the Opera". 

The other principal roles of Arnaud du Thil and Bertrande de Rols will be played by Ben Goddard and Kelly O'Leary, both former members of the cast of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Ben Elton's "The Beautiful Game". Goddard also played Judas in the UK/European tour of ALW's "Jesus Christ Superstar". Watermill regular Karen Mann will play Madame de Rols, having previously delivered a magnificent incarnation of Mrs. Lovett in John Doyle's staging of Sondheim's "Sweeney Todd" both at the Watermill and in the West End. She will be joined in the cast by another cast member from last summer's Watermill musical "The Hot Mikado" - Kit Orton, who earlier this year thrilled audiences in Freiburg, Germany in a production of Jason Robert Brown's "Songs For A New World".  

Martin Guerre has a score by Claud-Michel Schonberg, Book by Schonberg and Alain Boublil and lyrics by Alain Boublil, Stephen Clark and Edward Hardy. As with previous Watermill productions "Sweeney Todd", "Mack and Mabel" and "The Hot Mikado", Tony award winner, Sarah Travis has once again arranged and orchestrated the score for a cast of actor/singer/musicians.

The full cast list and credits for the production are:  

 Martin Guerre - Andrew Bevis

Arnaud du Thil - Ben Goddard

Betrande de Rols - Kelly O'Leary

Catherine - Esther Biddle

Andre - Kit Orton

Priest/Judge - Michael Howcroft

Madame de Rols - Karen Mann

Pierre Guerre - James Traherne

Guillaume - Jez Unwin

Benoit - Johnson Willis

Hortense or Ernestine - Rosie Timpson

Hortense or Ernestine - Susannah Van den Berg    

Directed by Craig Revel Horwood
Musical director and musical arrangements by Sarah Travis
Designed by Diego Pitarch
Lighting by Richard G Jones
Sound by Gary Dixon