Artistic director Bob Hupp makes his directorial debut as 黑料不打烊 Stage opens the 17/18 season with the swashbuckling adventure . This action-packed adaptation of Alexandre Dumas鈥 1844 classic novel opens Friday, Sept. 22, in the Archbold Theatre at the 黑料不打烊 Stage/SU Drama Complex, 820 E. Genesee St. There will be preview performances Wednesday, Sept. 20, and Thursday, Sept. 21.
Adapted by Catherine Bush, playwright-in-residence at the Barter Theatre in Abingdon, Virginia, and co-produced with the 黑料不打烊 Department of Drama, 鈥淭he Three Musketeers鈥 is a sweeping and engaging tale featuring a cast of 18 outfitted with more than 50 costumes by Marianne Custer, including period gowns.
Hupp chose to start the season with 鈥淭he Three Musketeers鈥 because of its wide appeal and because it is a work that inspires a creative response in artists and audiences alike.
鈥淭he show is full of adventure and romance,鈥 says Hupp. 鈥淚 wanted the first show to be broadly engaging and include the audience as part of the fun. The classics spark our imagination and take us places we don鈥檛 ordinarily get to go to, like 17th-century France.鈥
Dumas鈥 epic follows the dashing young D鈥橝rtagnan and his three companions, Athos, Aramis and Porthos, as they fight for the honor of their queen. Carefully guarded secrets, lavish swordfights and sweeping romances all develop as the musketeers duel their way into glory. The fights, expertly choreographed by D.C. Wright, range from large-scale brawls to one-on-one duels and embrace a variety of tones from comedic to dangerous.
In keeping with the demands of Dumas鈥 sprawling and intriguing tale, Stanley A. Meyer鈥檚 set accommodates almost 20 locations as the action shifts from the streets of Paris to secret rooms in royal chambers. Hupp says 黑料不打烊 Stage鈥檚 Archbold Theatre is perfect for 鈥淭he Three Musketeers鈥 because “It聽is large enough to embrace an epic, yet small enough to bring the audience right into the action.鈥
Dumas鈥 work has been translated into more than 100 languages and adapted into a multitude of films. Bush鈥檚 task was to transform the 400-plus page novel into a new and exciting experience.
鈥淚 like the challenge of taking a story written in a totally different place and time and making it accessible to our audience today,鈥 says Bush. 鈥淏eing able to take that reflective material that an author used and condense that to two hours of incredible theater is amazing!鈥
The world of the play comes to striking visual life with the help of costume designer Marianne Custer. Custer has worked in costume design for 45 years and based her costume ideas on paintings and garments from the Baroque era (1600-1750).
鈥淚n my discussions with Bob, I began research primarily through paintings and the existing period, starting from the 1630s,鈥 says Custer. 鈥淚 discovered Baroque paintings from French painters like the Le Nain brothers that looked so rich and luxurious. Their paintings and other Baroque pieces inspired some of my sketches.鈥
鈥淭he Three Musketeers鈥 production involves lots of movement, and Custer has designed a wardrobe that not only looks beautiful, but will stay intact during the show鈥檚 swashbuckling fight scenes.
鈥淭hese costumes are going to have fairly unique needs because of the amount of combat action required in the play,鈥 says Custer.
Similar demands are placed on Meyer鈥檚 set. In addition to allowing for swift transition to multiple locations, he must also accommodate the fight choreography. Wright calls the set design a wonderful gymnasium that will afford opportunity to showcase the physical skills of the cast.
Aiding, too, in the creation of adventure and romance is Ryan Rumery, who is composing original music specifically for this production. Rumery has been sitting in on rehearsals and working in real time to provide underscoring integral to Jonathan Herter鈥檚 sound design.
An historic adventure of this scale requires the coordination and integration of numerous creative components. In addition to the design elements, the production has dancing staged by Anthony Salatino and songs coached by Rebecca Karpoff.
As a season opener, 鈥淭he Three Musketeers鈥 celebrates the expansive potential of live performance.
鈥淥nly theater can deliver a really imaginative, far-flung and shared experience,鈥 says Hupp.
Tickets are available at , by phone at 315.443.3275 and in person at the Box Office.
