The Three Musketeers - bold, energetic and thoroughly enjoyable - runs at The New Vic Theatre in Newcastle-under-Lyme until Saturday 25 January. With a sharp-witted script, jaw-dropping fight scenes, and plenty of laughs, it’s the perfect play for a long winter evening.

The brand new production is adapted from Alexandre Dumas’ classic story by Theresa Heskins, the theatre’s Artistic Director, who has savoured every drop of swashbuckling excitement and thrilling spectacle. The result is a slick and perfectly paced show, which manages to tell a well-rounded tale with a two-hour run time. 

The play tells the story of D’Artagnan (Lemar Moller), as he leaves his humble life on a farm to seek adventure in the city. He naively wanders to the palace, seeking an audience with the Queen, where he encounters her personal guards - the Three Musketeers, Athos (Louis J Rhone), Porthos (Hadley Smith) and Aramis (Thomas Dennis). He bests them in a lighthearted challenge - not by matching their well-honed swordsmanship, but by his own quick-thinking - and Athos takes him under his wing. 

In parallel with D’Artagnan’s story, we see the rise of the mysterious Milady (Charlotte Price), who also dreams of a better life. While D’Artagnan aspires to fight and protect the King and his country, she is sick of serving the ungrateful gentry. Instead, she finds herself on a mission from the conspiratorial Cardinal (Perry Moore) to disrupt the status quo - represented by the flippant, frivolous and very funny King and Queen (Gareth Cassidy and Emma Symmonds).

It is impossible to talk about the production without mentioning the incredible fight choreography, directed by Philip d’Oléans, assisted by Stephen Louis. The stage is regularly filled with spectacular action sequences, from the first moment that Milady makes her escape (empty-handed, she takes down a whole troop of city guards) to the suitably impressive final fight scene. 

The production is tailored to the venue’s unusual ‘In The Round’ setup, which gives each seat a unique view - and every inch of the theatre is used to full effect. Real care has been taken to draw the eye to certain parts of the action, using slow motion combined with clever light and sound design (by Charles Balfour and Alex Day, respectively), to create cinematic moments. However, to call the whole play ‘cinematic’ would be a disservice - much of the excitement and energy comes from seeing such impressive swordplay, live on stage.

The Three Musketeers is a masterclass in storytelling and, more importantly, it’s just great fun. All ages were represented in Saturday’s audience, from babes-in-arms to grandparents - and a child in the row in front who literally could not contain his excitement. I’d defy anyone to watch it without a grin - don’t miss it.

Five Stars

The Three Musketeers was reviewed on Saturday 23 November by Jessica Clixby at The New Vic Theatre, Newcastle-under-Lyme, where it shows until Saturday 25 January.

Image © Andrew Billington