Interview with Eli McFarland, Martin Guerre at the Old Vic Theatre

This autumn, the Old Vic has a treat for musical theatre fans – an all-new version of the Olivier Award-winning musical Martin Guerre, from the creators of Les Misérables, Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg. It’s the penultimate production to be directed by Artistic Director Matthew Warchus, and is running for five weeks only.

It’s loosely based on the story of the real-life Martin Guerre, an extraordinary story of forbidden love, deceit and passion on trial… with new music, lyrics, folk-inflected orchestrations and a thrilling new In The Round staging.

The cast boasts a wealth of talent, including 19 year old Eli McFarland, a recent graduate from the Theatre College of Scotland, taking on the role of Young Benoit.

Ahead of his London and West End debut (and what a way to make a debut!), Eli talked about the audition process, saying:

“My first round audition for Martin Guerre was a self tape for the role of Young Martin, and to be honest I never expected to hear back about being progressed further. Anyone I spoke to about it at the time would tell you I was just buzzing to be seen for this show and I thought it was so incredible to even be being considered for something like this. So, when I heard a few weeks later that they wanted to see me in person for a recall for Young Benoit I again was super thrilled for the opportunity to be seen in person and recalled for another part, it never even really crossed my mind that I could get it. To be honest I left my audition thinking that I had entirely blown it and wishing that I had another chance to do better. In the audition I was even asked what I knew about the show and I made a comparison to The Parent Trap (!), so I thought I had made a complete fool of myself”

But of course, Eli absolutely hadn’t done anything of the sort. The audition was on a Monday and then on Friday, the phone rang …

“I got a call from my agent saying that he wanted to chat. I took the call in the kitchen on speaker phone and my mum was in the living room, and when I came out the kitchen and looked at her she just immediately started screaming. So I suppose unofficially I didn’t tell her, but she was the first person to find out”. 

Talking about his character:

“Benoit is a friend of Martin and Bertrande. He would probably have been autistic, however this wasn’t a word used in his lifetime and this is reflected in the way that he is treated in the show. Unfortunately, it is still a way autistic people are treated today far too often.

Sometimes people describe Benoit as a sort of ‘village idiot’, but I think that this is totally unfair and a mischaracterisation of who he is. Benoit, I think, is actually incredibly perceptive, introspective and is such a caring person. He is the one when Martin returns, to connect the dots and explain to everyone that it is him. I think a big reason that he realised is more than just that he and Martin were friends, but rather that he watches how Bertrande [Martin’s wife] is subsequently treated for the seven years after he leaves and how it tortures her. He loves Bertrande so much, her problems become his problems too. Benoit is also fiercely loyal and is driven by what is right, he faces a lot of adversity and push back, but he will always be driven by his beliefs, morals and love to do what is right.

As an autistic person myself, I do see a lot of myself in Benoit. I think that this makes it even more interesting because I could start by drawing on my own experiences, and then start to build him into a person who feels similar to me but also very distinctly different to myself”.

Walking into the rehearsal room to work with such a prestigious team must have been a little daunting. The photos below (by Manuel Harlan) show Eli in rehearsal and working with the rest of the company. He remembers:

“The first days of rehearsals to be honest were exciting but terrifying, I had no idea what to expect. We started out with a dialect session in the morning because we speak in a Yorkshire accent, and I really love getting to do accents and voice work so this was super exciting for me.  In the afternoon we cracked on with music and learned a good third’ish of the show that day.  I really love getting to work at a fast pace and really getting to explore all of the different sounds this show has in the score. 

One of the things I’m enjoying most about rehearsing with the Company is that whenever you look around at the people in the room, everyone is doing exactly what they are supposed to be doing with themselves.  Every single person involved in this process is immensely talented and watching all of that passion and artistry flow from all angles into this piece is such a special process to be a part of”.

And then there’s the small matter of the legendary Boubil and Schönberg joining the cast in the rehearsal room:

“Getting to work with Claude-Michel and Alain is just completely something else. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would get to work with them, so to say that i get to come in and work with them every single day is beyond a dream come true. I’m just a boy from a small town in Ayrshire so this blows my mind. 

They are so fascinating to get to work with, because their brains hold so much understanding of absolutely everything going on musically and lyrically that they can pick out the tiniest things or can ask for something so specific that they’ve not heard us sing or play in the song but they understand how it’ll sound put together before it happens. It is so crazy and such a privilege to be working on this show with them”.

Eli is an absolute inspiration for young people wanting to get involved in theatre:

“I don’t come from any sort of theatre family so I’ve never done any sort of theatre or knew what musicals were at all growing up. I think it came as quite a shock to my mum and other kids at school when I got the lead role in our primary 7 show. After that I had sort of aged out of a childminder but couldn’t be left alone when my mum was at work so I was put into youth theatre over school holidays. I was a super nervous child so I didn’t really stick with theatre and it wasn’t until a few years later when I started struggling at school, ending up not attending or sitting any exams when I was still really young that theatre became my lifeline. After watching West Side Story I decided I had to get involved in musicals and theatre again and it was really clear to me that it was exactly what I was supposed to be doing with myself”.

And looking to the future, there are quite a few parts on his radar:

“I have so so many dream roles, and it depends on the week which musical has become my main focus. Among many I would absolutely love to one day get to be Orpheus in Hadestown, I would really love to play Batboy or LOVE to be able to play Paddington one day, that is something that is so special to me. To be honest I do believe that there are also hundreds of dream roles out there for me that are still a faint idea in someone’s head waiting to be written. I really love traditional roles and the opportunity to bring myself to these amazing classical pieces and also love that there is so much amazing new music and many new stories being told every day, and the things I might look back on one day and say were the greatest achievements and honours of my life might not even exist yet and I can’t wait to see what they are!”

And finally, Eli tells us why people should come and see Martin Guerre:

“I think there is truly something for everyone to love in this production, whether you loved the original and want to experience it again, or you have never encountered the story and music, you’ll get lost in these people’s stories. 

This story almost feels too crazy to be real, but it was and I think it’s so amazing to get to watch these people and this tale being given life again. It’s wonderful to think that when you are being moved by this amazing music and storytelling, that you are not only feeling for the characters, but for real people who felt this passion and connection”. 

Martin Guerre, with Eli McFarland playing Young Benoit, is at the Old Vic until 31st October 2026.