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The Three Musketeers
May 1-3, 2014, Childs Auditorium
Written by Ken Ludwig (from novel by Alexandre Dumas)
Directed by Karen Shewchuk
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Review in North Renfrew Times, May 7, 2014:
Action sizzles in "Musketeers"
by Argus
"What a performance! Huge cast! Great crew! Sword fighting just like at Stratford!"
That's a direct quote from an audience member during the intermission of the Deep River Players' production of the swashbuckling classic, "The Three Musketeers."
The show is nicely set up by d'Artagnan and his immediate family as the young hero-to-be sets off for Paris with his plucky kid sister Sabine.
The audience then watches as a series of adventures, misadventures, romances, and evil plots unfolds.
Comedy is ever present, some of it downright slapstick but nevertheless funny, as well as lots and lots of action.
Romance abounds, ranging from young love through the more mature stuff, with some of it even illicit.
Chemistry, that all important ingredient, wass evident throughout this production as was character development for those that need it.
We see d'Artagnan, played by Douglas Hamilton, grow from being an impetuous hot-headed country bumpkin into a shrewd, clever young man ready to assume leadership.
We see the love grow between him and Constance, played by Autumn Essington.
We watch Milady, a scheming, violent woman played by Kristen Glowa, become even more cruel and deadly.
Some characters don't need development; they are what they are.
Jeremy Whitlock as King Louis XIII (and looking like a cross between Burton Cummings and Doug Henning) was wonderful.
His suspicions regarding his wife Queen Anne, played by Toria Minigan, and the English Duke of Buckingham, played by Ben Mungham, end up producing some international intrigue.
Actually, Whitlock played three roles, the other two being d'Artagnan's father in the opening scene and an innkeeper later in the production. His death scene was utterly hilarious.
Gordon Burton as Cardinal Richelieu was nothing short of amazing; his stage presence is something to behold. He is not only the essence of evil, he is also very funny.
Ike Dimayuga portrayed Rochefort, a very dangerous villain reporting to Richelieu; their interactions with each other were most often scary, but sometimes quite funny.
Alison McIvor, d'Artagnan's mother in the opening scene, also played multiple roles, the funniest of which was an excellent scene that would have made Sybil Fawlty proud.
The Musketeers, Athos (Ian Graham), Aramis (Kyle Wilkes), and Porthos (Troy Wilson), with father figure Treville (Mac Jones), are the central characters that d'Artagnan wants to be accepted by and in spite of some initial misgivings along the way, accept him they do.
One could say there were Five Musketeers, the original three plus d'Artagnan, plus Sabine.
The real star was the action, the swashbuckling, the sword fighting, d'Artagnan leaping over the railing sword in hand, the Musketeers fighting off two guards with a sword in each hand, Milady with her street fighting, d'Artagnan's father giving a last lesson, Richelieu's chokeholds on Rochefort.
The choreography, both dance and fighting, was amazing. Home grown talents Claire Steer and Tony LeClair are to be commended.
The costumes (yes, even including the king's hair) were excellent and the period was portrayed very well.
Director Karen Shewchuck has definitely raised the bar for future productions.
It was a very good production; not perfect, but very good.
The moveable stage was a marvellous piece of engineering, certainly multifunctional, and it set the different scenes well.
However, it seemed overly complex, resulting in what appeared to be protracted scene changes, some of which made the audience appear uncomfortable. There were also a couple of instances when the pace appeared to slow a little, again making the audience seem a little uncomfortable.
These are shortcomings that can be easily remedied.
Thank you Deep River Players. It was an enjoyable evening. I look forward to more.
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