Newcastle-under-Lyme’s New Vic Theatre is presenting a Christmas show with a difference - one of the greatest adventure stories ever told, with fast-paced action and a dastardly heist to boot! Performed on the venue’s immersive ‘in the round’ stage, The Three Musketeers is a spectacular festive-season treat for theatre-goers of all ages. What’s On spoke to Theresa Heskins, who has adapted the story and directed the play, to find out more about this swashbuckling show…

Seventeenth-century Paris may be a rather unusual setting for a Christmas production, but that’s exactly where Newcastle-under-Lyme’s New Vic Theatre is transporting its audiences this month and next... 

The reason? The venue’s festive-season show is a brand-new adaptation of The Three Musketeers - the exhilarating story of Athos, Porthos and Aramis (the titular trio) and the plucky d’Artagnan, who leaves behind him a life on the farm in pursuit of adventure.

The Three Musketeers might not be a traditional choice for a Christmas show, but the decision to adapt the famous novel was taken via a process of consultation with younger members of the local community.  

“Every year we do a really special Christmas show,” explains New Vic Artistic Director Theresa Heskins. “It’s a centrepiece in our programme and very popular with local people. Back in January, we consulted with schools and asked what they would like to see this year, and the schools chose The Three Musketeers. Isn’t that fabulous!”

The story instantly conjures up a world of swashbuckling adventure. The tale of the legendary Musketeers is deeply ingrained in popular culture and familiar even to people who have never read the original, or seen one of the (many) adaptations.

“After it was written and published in 1844, it just went global,” says Theresa. “It was published in so many languages across the world and has kept being published, and abridged, and made into movies and cartoons. It’s quite extraordinary.”

The original text, written by Alexandre Dumas, was an epic, so condensing the story  into a stage performance lasting under two hours has proved quite a challenge. Theresa, who adapted the novel for this production and has also directed the show, had a huge amount of source material to sift through, particularly in terms of telling the story of the adventure-hungry d’Artagnan - and not forgetting the antagonistic Milady. 

“I wanted to tell the story of that young man from a relatively humble background wanting to achieve his ambition. I felt like Milady was an important character as well, so I wanted to make sure that she’s as significant as she is in the novel. She has a backstory of being a thief, so in our production, rather than being a grand lady, she starts off as a bit of a street thief. Together, their ascent is mapped in parallel.”

The Three Musketeers are famous for their swordplay, so this was one of Theresa’s priorities when casting the show. The initial auditions were large-scale fight workshops, to ensure that the action on stage lived up to expectations.

“One of the big elements of the play is these amazing sword fights, where all the heroes have to defend themselves from evil and villainy. They’re brilliant fighters - they’re really fantastic. I’ve never seen anything like it on stage.”

Dumas’ story was set in the 1620s, and versions of the characters’ costumes have been well documented since its publication -  but the New Vic’s production explores different avenues of design.

“We’ve looked at 1620, when it was set, but we’ve also looked at the 1840s, when it was written, and also the 1790s, when France had this massive revolution. Alexandre Dumas had been a kid and grown up in France looking at the results of the revolution and the civil unrest that resulted from it - we’ve combined all of those eras. It’s set in 1620, but it’s got a little bit of the contemporary world as well, so it doesn’t feel old-fashioned.”

Theresa believes audiences will be surprised by the show’s design - but in a good way.

“The costume designer, Lis Evans, has taken the design from the 1620s but also looked at cowboys, looked at what you would wear if you were actually going to fight on a daily basis. Would you wear a floppy hat with a feather in it and a doily collar and cuffs, or would you decide to wear something more practical, with a bit of protection in it? We’ve got a few biker jackets in there… It’s a really epic adventure that we’re offering. I think people are used to our Christmas shows being massive and a feast for the eyes, and each year we have to exceed what we did the last time!”

Christmas shows also have to toe the difficult line of appealing to pretty much everybody - from a selection of school groups to families and friends of any age. 

“It’s about finding ways for people of different ages to connect with it. We go quite young - primary schools come in, and I think for them it’s the action and adventure and the non-stop thrill of it all.”

The team at the New Vic are experienced in creating high-quality productions, with one of their shows for young people, The Princess And The Pea, recently returning to the UK after a stint in New York. 
Garnering international acclaim is one thing,  but there’s no place like home - particularly when home comes complete with the benefit of an ‘in the round’ stage.

“It’s quite a revelation for children to come to this theatre for the first time and feel like they’re in the story. This one will also be really appealing to teenagers, and I think anybody who’s looking for something to do with their teenage children would find it a great, memorable outing. About a third of our audience are adults who’re just out for their own Christmas treat, not bringing any children with them at all. It’s quite a vast age range to entertain! I think it’s one of the things that theatre-goers enjoy so much as well. They love being in an audience with loads of different people of different ages - especially at this time of year. It’s such a treat.”

There is a large cast to play with this year, but Theresa’s favourite character is, of course, the aspiring musketeer who’s out in the big city for the first time.

“D’Artagnan is just so adorable! He’s a lovely character; just full of optimism and enthusiasm. On the page of the original novel, he’s quite a naive lad. I think he’s so charming, and I think audiences are just going to love him. Lemar Moller, who plays him - this is Lemar’s first job out of drama school - has got this winning charm to him. He’s really nailed the character in a fantastic way - and great fighting!”

“Our Musketeers themselves - what a charming, fantastic group of people! It’s such a pleasure being in the room with them, and this fantastic enthusiasm and energy they’ve got, this positivity… I think audiences are just going to love being in the theatre with them.”

Feature by Jessica Clixby

The Three Musketeers shows at the New Vic Theatre, Newcastle-under-Lyme, until Saturday 25 January