For swashbuckling family fun this summer, look no further than Iris Theatre’s The Three Musketeers. Set at the beautiful St Paul’s Church in Covent Garden, the largely open-air production takes Alexandre Dumas’ 1844 novel and condenses it into a thrilling adventure that sees Athos, Porthos, Aramis and new recruit d’Artagnan battle the mysterious and cunning Milady de Winter.
Even if – like me – you haven’t read the novel, there have been enough TV and film adaptations over the years of the Three Musketeers story that most people will probably have some idea what it’s all about (“all for one, and one for all” etc). What makes Daniel Winder’s adaptation particularly unique and refreshing, however, is that both its hero and its villain are women.
Faced with a future of limited opportunities following the death of her father, the young d’Artagnan (Jenny Horsthuis) has realised the only way she can hope to achieve her dream and gain a position with the Musketeers is to disguise herself as a man. Meanwhile Milady (Ailsa Joy), having suffered years of brutality at the hands of men, has decided to give them a taste of their own medicine; though she’s every inch the baddie, when we learn her story we can’t help but feel some sympathy for her motives. As Milady eventually observes, she and d’Artagnan are more alike than they realise – they’ve just chosen to tackle their situation in very different ways.
Despite having two strong female leads, it’s very telling that it’s still the male characters who make it into the show’s title, despite being rather less heroic than we might expect. The three Musketeers – Aramis (Albert de Jongh), Porthos (Elliot Liburd) and Athos (Matt Stubbs) – are certainly brave, but as individuals, and particularly in their attitude towards women, they leave quite a bit to be desired. (In a funny but significant sequence at the start of Act 2, d’Artagnan – having single-handedly saved Bethan Rose Young’s Queen of France from a plot hatched by Milady and Cardinal Richelieu – is then forced to extricate her colleagues, at great personal cost, from a variety of scandals in a series of country pubs.)
While it does give us plenty to think about, Paul-Ryan Carberry’s promenade production is also a lot of fun, with an immersive atmosphere and plenty of opportunities for audience members of all ages to get involved in the action as we make our way around the gardens and into the church itself. A hard-working cast play multiple roles, with special credit going to Stephan Boyce, who has to change costume and personality every five minutes as he plays four very different characters during the course of the show. The sword fights, choreographed by Roger Bartlett, are also particularly impressive – even more so given that cast member Albert de Jongh’s “wounded warrior” Aramis broke his ankle three days before the show opened.
A rip-roaring adventure full of humour, intrigue and drama, The Three Musketeers offers a fresh perspective on a well-known classic that can be enjoyed by the whole family – and in particular by young girls who want to see female characters do more than fall in love and get rescued. And with tickets starting from just £14, and special family offers available, it’s one of the best value theatrical experiences you’ll find in central London this summer.
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