• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer

News and entertainment worth sharing – York and North Yorkshire

  • News
  • Things to do
  • Radio
  • More
    • Food & drink
    • Business
  • About
    • Comments
    • Advertise
    • Contact us
  • Radio
  • WIN
  • Vouchers
  • Choice Awards
  • Listen live »
Selby Residents' Festival

Review: The Three Musketeers on the streets of York

Sun 27 Jul, 2014 @ 10.18 pm News Simona Manni
three-musketeers-york-review
Street fighters… another battle for the musketeers

  The Three Musketeers by ReStage & Nightshade Productions
  York city centre, July 25, 2014

D’Artagnan and the Three Musketeers are invading our streets with their laughters, quarrels, and triumphs. Nightshade Productions and ReStage, two local companies that specialise in immersive theatre and site-specific performance, have come together to adapt Dumas’ classic specifically for the historical streets of York.

The audience is accompanied through Shambles by Cardinal Richelieu (Lee Gemmell) who also acts as narrator. In the market we meet the musketeers for the first time: James Witchwood, Ben Sawyer and Richard Bevan respect those characteristics literature, theatre, and cinema have taught us about religious Aramis, dandy Porthos and heartbroken Athos.

The young and naive D’Artagnan (Jimmy Johnson) ends up annoying all of them before even being able to present his intention of joining the group.

He will have to face them in a duel that will unexpectedly unite the four of them through the famous bonds of brotherhood.

D’Artagnan then has to face the intrigues set up by Milady de Winter (Natalie Bowers) and Richelieu against the Queen of France Anne (Naomi Lombard).

She is guilty of betraying the King (Damian Freddi) but she is also a woman entrapped in her obligations to an institution that submits any form of love to power.

D’Artagnan meanwhile falls in love with the young and brave Constance (Imogen Little) and Aramis reveals his pain in a moving monologue about his love misfortunes.

The play highlights the amusing moments of the novel, but it’s not scared to enact also the darkest events, violent deaths, lost hopes, and betrayal.

The mise-en-scene presents many challenges in the unpredictability of live streets: noisy pubs, tourists’ infiltrations, traffic, buskers. For this reason, the play gives its best when the audience is guided through the most intimate York places, like St Andrewsgate and the beautiful Holy Trinity Church yard.

In some moments the immersive flair is unavoidably lost, to be regained when the cast itself guides the audience. Given those challenges, it would have been good, if sustainable, to limit the number of the audience, so to encourage closeness and offer everyone a better chance to listen to the actors’ lines.

Overall, however, The Three Musketeers is entertaining and amusing, with dynamic duels, hilarious press comments, and cheeky references to the recent Tour de France, in the spirit of “all for one and one for all”.

This is the lesson that turns D’Artagnan from a young man to a brave musketeer: the awareness that if you expect the world to live for you, you have to be ready to live for the world.

  • The Three Museketeers is on from July 23 to July 27, July 30 to August 3 and August 6 to August 10
  • The show starts from the Golden Fleece Inn on Pavement at 7pm
  • Tickets available from York Theatre Royal
  • Sun 27 Jul, 2014

    1 Comment
    Newest
    Oldest Most Voted
    Inline Feedbacks
    View all comments
    Ian Massey
    8 years ago

    Saw it this evening – a great family-friendly evening out.

    0

    Footer

    YorkMix
    News 01904 848 766
    Email YorkMix news »
    5-6 King's Court, Shambles, York  YO1 7LD
    YorkMix Radio
    General enquiries 01904 375 029
    Studio/competitions 01904 375 030
    Email YorkMix Radio »
    Selby Superbowl, Bawtry Road, Selby  YO8 8NA
    YorkMix is a trading name of YorkMix Media Ltd
    Registered in England
    Company number: 07814727
    VAT number: 154 0364 34
    © York Sound Ltd

    Copyright © 2023 YorkMix Media Ltd

    We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
    Cookie settingsACCEPT
    Manage consent

    Privacy Overview

    This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
    Necessary
    Always Enabled
    Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
    Non-necessary
    Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
    SAVE & ACCEPT
    wpDiscuz