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Stratford Festival: The Three Musketeers

The Stratford Festival stands en garde with this daring production

By Lauren Gillett • June 15, 2013

Presented by Schulich Children's Plays
By Peter Raby
Adapted from the novel by Alexandre Dumas
Directed by Miles Potter

From left: Jonathan Goad, Mike Shara, Luke Humphrey, Graham Abbey. Photo by Don Dixon.

Set in 17th century France, Alexandre Dumas' 1844 novel The Three Musketeers is bold, comical and wildly romantic. The stage adaptation by English playwright Peter Raby first premiered at the Festival Theatre in 1968 and was remounted there in 1988 and 2000. Now, the show returns to the original venue as an adventurous addition to the Stratford Festival's 2013 season.

Dumas' story follows the young D'Artagnan (Luke Humphrey) after he leaves his parents in Gascony and travels to Paris to join the Musketeers of King Louis XIII (Keith Dinicol). An enthusiastic swordsman, he finds himself duelling with the same three Musketeers he is meant to be fighting alongside: the vain and hedonistic Porthos (a hilarious Jonathan Goad), the pious Aramis (Mike Shara), and the wise Athos (Graham Abbey). Before long the four men become friends and vow to live by D'Artagnan's motto, "all for one and one for all."

Together they set out to defeat the menacing Cardinal Richelieu (Steven Sutcliffe), and his agents The Comte de Rochefort (Michael Blake) and Milady de Winter (Deborah Hay), as they conspire to start a war between France and England by revealing that Queen Anne of France (Nehassaiu deGannes) is having a love affair with The Duke of Buckingham (Skye Brandon). D'Artagnan comes into own in the process, wooing a lady or two, including Constance Bonacieus, a lady-in-waiting to the Queen (Bethany Jillard), along the way.

Featuring stunning costumes by designer Gillian Gallow and brilliant fight direction by John Stead, The Three Musketeers is a fast-paced, if somewhat uneven, caper bursting with intrigue and sexual politics (perhaps a little too much for young children). Director Miles Potter gets fine performances out of the leads and ensemble, with stand-out performances by Humphrey as the young D'Artagnan, and Hay as the villanous Milady de Winter. And more than a few of the production's funnier moments involve clashes between the upper classes and servants, such as D'Artagan's man Planchet (Antoine Yared). A fun show for all and all for fun!

The Three Musketeers runs until October 19 at the Festival Theatre. Visit stratfordfestival.ca for more information and to buy tickets.