A Real Winner

The Bristol Evening PostRating – 4 Stars out of 4 * * * *THE Bristol Old Vic has come up with a real winner for its festive production.Apart from introducing a cheeky sister, Sabine, for D’Artagnan to give this macho story a more feminine viewpoint, Ken Ludwig’s adaptation of Alexander Dumas’s classic yarn is completely in keeping with the most popular Hollywood versions.Fight director Richard Ryan arranged terrific displays of sword-fighting that would not be disgraced if placed alongside the efforts of the cinema’s swashbuckling legends.George Rainsford made his professional debut one to remember as, using a northern accent as a stand-in for the country sounds of Gascony, he captured the youthful joy and pain of D’Artagnan.His brash inexperience blended beautifully with Paul Agar’s languid Porthos, Vyelle Croom’s elegant Aramis and the powerful, often moving portrayal of the disturbed Athos by Gerald Kyd.With Laura Hopkins’s very efficient sets flying in and out at speed, as accurately timed as the sword play, and the action heightened by Corin Buckerige’s music, director Timothy Sheader needed strong ensemble play.Hardly putting a foot wrong, this cast supplied whatever was needed – villainy, swashbuckling adventure, romance, comedy, pathos or drama. What more could you ask for? Ask the children to take you to see it for a holiday treat.by Gerry Parker
Robin Sebastian as Cardinal Richelieu and Paul Benzig as Rochefort in the Bristol Old Vic Productdion of The Three Musketeers; PC: Alastair Muir