Staffordshire’s New Vic will stage a brand-new version of Alexandre Dumas’ The Three Musketeers this Christmas. The show follows on from Theresa Heskins’ adaptation of The Nutcracker in 2023 and will introduce a new generation of children to this classic literary tale, on the New Vic’s in-the-round stage from Friday 15 November 2024 to Saturday 25 January 2025.
Arguably Dumas’ best-known tale, The Three Musketeers was one of over 250 novels penned by the French writer, and captured imaginations the instant the story entered the public domain. For this new production, Theresa Heskins will return to Dumas’ original 1844 story, first published in serial form in the French newspaper Le Siècle.
Dumas’ father had been a military hero; a ‘Hercules’ who had risen to the rank of General by the age of 31 and whose exploits inspired his son’s fiction. This illustrious career had been achieved whilst experiencing discrimination, injustice, and outright racial abuse, for the General had been born in Haiti, the illegitimate son of an enslaved African woman. The surname Dumas came from her. Alexandre Dumas was proud of his father and grandmother, proud to take her name, and has made it famous all over the world.
Since its first serialisation in 1844 The Three Musketeers has continued to thrill readers and audiences in its many guises. Translations, adaptations and abridgements of the novel, picture books and successive screen adaptations from the Douglas Fairbanks silent film through several BBC series to Hollywood movies; a cartoon segment in The Banana Splits; animations including Dogtanian and the Three Muskehounds; Disney movies, video games, comics and radio. Dumas’ vivid characters echo through them all, as does the rallying cry “all for one, and one for all”!
New Vic Artistic Director Theresa Heskins said: “This is my second year being in the writers’ room with Alexandre Dumas, his adaptation of The Nutcracker and the Mouse Queen having been one of my companions last year. Before that I had been fairly ignorant about this prolific writer. I was interested to discover that he had begun his writing career as a playwright – no wonder he loves writing action. Theatre-in-the-round loves action, so Dumas’ swashbuckling epic is perfect for the New Vic’s unique space.”
A story about friendship, social mobility, courage and doing what is right, The Three Musketeers is one of the greatest adventure stories ever told. Join well-loved characters d’Artagnan, Athos, Porthos, Aramis and the mysterious Milady de Winter for a show packed with fast-paced action, music and theatricality in a production suitable for all ages.
The Three Musketeers is on stage at the New Vic from Friday 15 November 2024 to Saturday 25 January 2025. Tickets, priced from £10.00, go on sale at 12.00pm on Friday 15 March. For more information and to book visit newvictheatre.org.uk or call the Box Office on 01782 717962.