17th Century Swordplay and 'The Three Musketeers' at Utah State University
The legendary three musketeers and young Frenchman d’Artagnan engage the Cache Valley community with a tale of treachery, heroism, close escapes and honor in The Three Musketeers, a stage production showing at Utah State University April 14-16 and 20-23. The work is presented by USU’s Theatre Arts Department in the Caine College of the Arts.
“The play guarantees a swashbuckling, melodramatic, comedic experience for the audience and provides our 19-person cast the opportunity to learn demanding new skills like 17th century court dances and formal sword fighting,” said Colin Johnson, interim department head for theatre arts and the show’s director.
The theatre department employed Roger Dunbar, a fight choreographer from Salt Lake City and USU alum, to train the cast in aspects of hand-to-hand combat and sword fighting, Johnson said.
A guest-artist grant from the Marie Eccles Caine Foundation – Russell Family made the professional training possible.
In total, there are about 45 minutes of choreographed fight scenes throughout this action-packed production, said Richie Call, visiting assistant professor of theatre arts and fight coach.
“I have the battle wounds from fight call rehearsals to prove it,” said Call.
Adventure, drama, humor and romance combine to make this play family-friendly and entertaining, said Call.
“I have enjoyed learning the difference between swashbuckling, the type of sword play we use in the play, and fencing, the kind of competitive, sporting sword play I’m more familiar with,” said Jason Craig West who portrays d’Artagnan.
“The choreographer has been fun to work with because he is so creative and yet still open to suggestions,” West said. “That’s important to me because I like to give my two cents.”
In addition to group rehearsals and private practices, many of the cast members also read the novel to take a more knowledgeable approach and learn the history behind the play.
“The rehearsal process has certainly been very challenging, but it will be an amazing spectacle,” said Johnson.
More than 20 scenes and wonderful period-specific costuming will take the audience on an adventure as d’Artagnan, Athos, Porthos and Aramis defend the honor of the King and Queen of France against the Machiavellian Cardinal Richelieu, Johnson said.
There are big ambitions for the set, West said.
“There are basically two large set pieces they use in different combinations throughout the entire play to create new scenes,” he said. “I’m really excited for it.”
The production is a modern-day adaptation by Ken Ludwig of the classic tale by Alexandre Dumas and is an epic finale to a successful season for USU’s Caine College of the Arts Department of Theatre Arts.
The Three Musketeers begins at 7:30 p.m. nightly in the Morgan Theatre of the USU Chase Fine Arts Center.
Tickets are $13 reserved seating, $11 for USU faculty and staff, $9 for non-USU students and free for USU students with ID. Tickets are available online, by phone, 435-797-8022 and in person at the Caine College of the Arts Box Office in room 139-B of the Chase Fine Arts Center.
More information about the play can be found online.
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Writer: Courtney Lewis, 435-797-9203, Courtney.lewis@usu.edu
Contact: Colin Johnson, 435-797-3047, Colin.Johnson@usu.edu
USU's Theatre Arts Department presents "The Three Musketeers" April 14-16 and 20-23, 7:30 p.m., Morgan Theatre, Chase Fine Arts Center on the Logan campus of Utah State University.
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