The Three Musketeers slashes into the Lucas Theatre

The performing arts department continues it’s main stage season with Ken Ludwig’s contemporary adaptation of Alexandre Dumas’ classic novel, “The Three Musketeers.”

Directed by Sharon Ott, “The Three Musketeers” tells the story of d’Artagnan, a young man who teams up with the musketeers, Athos, Aramis and Porthos to fight against Cardinal Richelieu, who plots against the Queen of France. The tale does not entirely involve swashbuckling fights with men in tights, it also involves romance as d’Artagnan falls in love with a lady-in-waiting and Athos reminisces about his tragic past with his wife.

The play offers a more contemporary look into the world of The Three Musketeers. With a 21st century dialogue (not to mention swearing), audiences will have a better understanding of the story set in 1600s. There were also several other notable differences between the play and the novel: in this version, d’Artagnan’s annoying little sister, Sabine, accompanies him to Paris and poses as his servant, whom they call Planchet. The fates of Milady de Winter and the Cardinal are also slightly altered.

Audiences seemed to thoroughly enjoy the play, convulsing with laughter at Comte de Rochefort’s and King Louis XIII’s quirky and exaggerated antics. The king, played by graduate student David Baghet, was the crowd’s obvious favorite. Even when the spotlight was not directly on him, Louis XIII still commanded both the attention and the giggles.

Other favorites included Cardinal Richelieu, performed by graduate performing arts student Alex Kanter, who was so deviously evil that audiences were torn between hating and loving him. Another stand out was Milday de Winter, played by second-year performing arts student Amaya Murphy, who could wield her knife just as well as she could wield her sensuality. Murphy smoothly transitioned from conniving vixen to supposed hapless victim, and with that, she easily commanded everyone’s attention.

Although d’Artagnon, played by third-year performing arts student Adler Roberts, had the energy and fervor of a boy-turned-Musketeer, he felt lackluster in certain scenes, especially during the dramatic reunion with his dying love.

The Three Musketeers held their own, however, each of them receiving just as much attention as the next.

Each Musketeer stood out, be it a spot on Prince Caspian accent, the perfect comedic timing or the heart-wrenching showdown between Milday. The three men had even more chemistry than d’Artagnon and Constance Bonacieux, the queen’s lady-in-waiting played by fourth-year performing arts major Mariah Leath, whose performance seemed a little flat amidst the drama.

In spite of the endless list of adaptations of “The Three Musketeers,” this particular take stands out with its high energy, traditional costumes, and drama. The actors keep their audience entertained and invested in the performance.

All things considered, the actors’ and audiences’ reactions with one another fully embody the timeless saying, “All for one, and one for all!”