The Edmonton Citadel’s production of The Three Musketeers

The first scene bursts out of the gates with a young, shirtless D’Artagnan (played by Eric Morin) dueling his father in a frenetic final lesson in swordplay prior to setting off for Paris to join the fabled Musketeers. The action is spirited, and for the duration of the play, it never really lets up.

Rife with political intrigue, sword fights, conspiracy, sword fights, love at first sight, sword fights, and action – plenty of action, The Three Musketeers, like the classic Alexandre Dumas book from which it was adapted, is unrelenting.

The dark side of all of this going on is that the story gets somewhat convoluted. That’s not a problem with a book – you can always go back and clear up any misconceptions you may have, but a play is a different thing. It moves by quickly. My only saving graces were the people that came with me, and thanks to our discussion during the intermission I was quickly brought up to speed. With my new found insight into Cardinal Richelieu’s cunning manipulation of the king, the queen and her relationship with the British nobleman Lord Buckingham the second act came together quite nicely; albeit resolving itself much quicker than the drama took to develop in the first act.

The play’s director Tom Woods in the role of Cardinal Richelieu, and Adrian Proszowski as King Louis were definitely the standouts in terms of acting. Woods portrayal of the cardinal was second to none and commanded your attention whenever he was on scene. Proszowski likewise garnered your attention by supplying most of the comic relief as he played the king very much like a traipsing nincompoop. (Special mention goes to Ashley Wright as Porthos; especially when bookending his portrayal of the ebullient musketeer with his earlier role of the dour, and insecure Charlie Aiken who is involved in an incestuous affair with his sister in the play August: Osage County.)

But not all is high praise and lofty lauding. I struggled with Eric Morin as D’Artagnan, the idealistic upstart. He played the character as too impetuous, and quick to get offended. It seemed like everyone was pissing him off and calling his character into question causing him to overreact and want to duel. After three or four duels this got old quick.

Perhaps what I found most distressing was Morin’s voice. It, like most of the other voices in the play, was conspicuously North American, but his had the added distraction of being somewhat whiny and devoid of subtlety. These factors conspired to pull me out of the scene whenever he spoke. And, more than a few times, I found myself rolling my eyes as a result.

However, what was particularly impressive about the play was the efficient use of a fairly austere set, the large size of the cast, and the well choreographed fight scenes.

The set consisted of the main stage with two flights of stairs, stage left and stage right, leading up to a balcony with a door beneath it that served multiple purposes. The stage, in conjunction with effective lighting, was made to feel, at various times like a market, a room, an inn, and a rain swept straight away for the actors to ride imaginary horses. Incidentally, the riding scenes are very well done, simultaneously evoking humour, as well as an appreciation for how well the actors, in conjunction with stage direction, can pull something off so effectively without props.

Considering the size of the Maclab theatre stage, the choreography of the various battles was fantastic. What makes it even more impressive is that in a year where an actress is applauded for training as a ballerina (Natalie Portman in Black Swan) we get the opportunity to see a number of actors who obviously trained equally as hard to ensure that their handling of swords is as convincing as Portman’s use of the pirouette.

Additionally, at one point there were more than eight combatants simultaneously dueling, but it never really felt too crowded. Each actor occupied the right place at the right time, and no one seemed to step on anyone else’s feet.

Although not my favourite play, The Three Musketeers did entertain. I wasn’t a big fan of the canned music, or some of the acting, but the stage direction, the lighting, the costumes, and the actors’ placement on stage at key times did create a unique spectacle for the audience. Overall worth seeing and an enjoyable night out.