"Musketeers" Delights with Daunting Swordplay

By Samantha Nitz

With a loud clashing of swords, a duel breaks out as characters shuffle left and right in a mobile pile. The scene, which takes place near the beginning of the play, sets the pace for "The Three Musketeers." The play continues with a alluring mix of action, suspense, seduction, humor and wit.

Directed by theater and dance faculty member Jeffrey Bracco, the exciting play shows promise for continued popularity amongst its audience.

The play boasts impressive costumes and a great deal of acting talent, but its most unique draw is the intricate and exciting swordplay, which was created by fight director Kit Wilder, and is performed throughout the story. The most exciting enactments take place in the streets of Paris as well as at the palace of King Louis XIII.

Sophomore Camille Hayes said, "A great deal of effort went into the show, and many actors had to learn how to fight with various types of weaponry when they had no prior experience with stage combat." The choreographed battles looked amazingly complex and left at least one person in the audience wishing to join in.

Auditions for the show began immediately after school started and since then, the cast members have been practicing hard, rehearsing five days a week for four hours a day, plus the occasional Saturday and Sunday rehearsals.
The dedication from the actors was apparent in the performance. Hayes, who plays Alexandre Dumas, commented on her own journey as an actress during the show.

"It was difficult learning how to be fully engaged in the action as an observer and not a participant," said Hayes. "Playing multiple characters was a pretty big challenge for me. I had to learn how to make a physical and vocal distinction between the characters so that the audience would understand that these are completely different people."

Kyle Van Zanten, who played d'Artagnan, managed to convince the audience of both his clumsiness and humor, often leaving the audience in peals of laughter as he stumbled from left to right on the stage.

Lindsay Styler's acting presence was also impressive as she managed to seduce the audience into her web of lies just as much as she did the other characters.

The hard work of the actors was noticed and appreciated by the audience members. The comedic and action-filled play managed to thoroughly entertain fans for the entire length of the performance.

Costumes designed by Elizabeth Poindexter, with additional design by Barbara Murray, dominated the stage and created convincing ambiance.

The women looked gorgeous and put together as they flowed through scenes while the men looked era-appropriate and handsome. Freshman Allison Gette said, "The costumes were amazing and elaborate. They really added a stunning visual to the already entertaining plot line."

The play runs until Sunday, so don't miss your chance to check it out.
Contact Samantha Nitz at snitz@scu.edu.