The New Vic has become acclaimed in recent years for its Christmas productions that always mark a delightful entrée into the theatrical festive season.
For 2024 the prodigious talent that is Theresa Heskins has breathed new life into the classic Dumas adventure The Three Musketeers. Prospective attenders should be left in no doubt that a magnificent delight awaits them.
D’ Artagnan (Lewis Moller) and Milady (Charlotte Price) both share the same dream – to escape their humdrum existence and make something of their lives. D’Artagnan is handed the worst jobs on his father’s farm while Milady is nothing more than a skivvy in a grand house.
It is natural, therefore, that both the young people would wish to escape to the big city and better themselves. Unfortunately, their futures are likely to tread very different paths. The farm hand has noble aspirations while the maid will do anything for money and that is soon proved when she escapes from her position with a precious item stolen from her erstwhile employer.
The pair meet up as Milady is pursued by the City Guard who have been alerted to the theft but when they next meet circumstances are much different.
Milady has joined forces with the Cardinal (Perry Moore) who has plans to wrest power from the Crown while D’Artagnan has met the Musketeers – a trio of loyalists who have been entrusted with the protection of the Queen (Emma Symmonds) and King (Gareth Cassidy).
Athos (Louis J Rhone), Porthos (Hadley Smith) and Aramis (Thomas Dennis) take a liking to the newcomer and admire his fledgling fencing skills even though his audition as a Night Watchman is far from perfect. Even more intriguing is that there is instant chemistry between D’Artagnan and the Queen’s maid Constance (Chloe Ragrag).
The Cardinal’s machinations progress when he accuses one of the Musketeers of the theft of a precious item of the Crown Jewels. The threesome plus the former farmhand fight their way out of custody and into hiding. But how will they thwart the attack on the Crown?
It is hugely entertaining to discover the answer to this question with some excellent performances from the cast. Smith brings a lovely humour to his character. Symmonds and Cassidy both perform their haughty caricatures to perfection and Moller is everything that is required in a leading man and makes a sparkling New Vic debut.
Price and Moore are magnificent villains and there is a well-staged camaraderie between Rhone and Dennis and delightful debut from Ragrag. Ally this to strong support from the ensemble and a must-see production is laid out before the audience.
None of this would come about without the excellent support from the creative team. A top-class show is always produced by Heskins and she has picked a talented creative cast to bring her ideas to fantastic fruition.
The fight scenes are worth the price of the ticket on their own and Philip d’Orleans has once again produced a spectacle that would not be out of place in a ballet. Beverley Norris-Edmunds has directed the Movement and Choreography with aplomb and Lis Evans has designed some beautiful costumes.
Heskins has done well to update this classic story for a festive audience. Apart from the swashbuckling scenes there is some laugh out loud humour including a nod to King Charles, audience participation and a production that is a feast for the eye.
There is a plethora of choice for the theatre-goer at this time of year but The Three Musketeers must come very near the top of the list. This is family entertainment at its best. It definitely is One For All.
The Three Musketeers has a running time of approximately 2 hours 5 minutes and continues until January 25th. For ticket information contact 01782 717962 or tickets@newvictheatre.org.uk
