''The Three Musketeers'' is a

musical Musical is the adjective of music. Musical may also refer to: * Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance * Musical film Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the characters are interwo ...

with a book by

William Anthony McGuire William Anthony McGuire (July 9, 1881 – September 16, 1940) was an American playwright, theatre director, and producer and screenwriter, including ''The Kid From Spain'' (1932) starring Eddie Cantor. McGuire earned an Oscar nomination for the ...

, lyrics by Clifford Grey and P. G. Wodehouse, and music by

Rudolf Friml Charles Rudolf Friml"Mrs. Rudolf Friml to Receive Divorce"
...

. It is based on the classic 1844 novel by

Alexandre Dumas, père Alexandre Dumas (, ; ; born Dumas Davy de la Pailleterie (), 24 July 1802 – 5 December 1870), also known as Alexandre Dumas père (where '' '' is French for 'father', to distinguish him from his son Alexandre Dumas fils), was a French writer. ...

. Set in France and England in 1626, it recounts the adventures of a young man named

d'Artagnan Charles de Batz de Castelmore (), also known as d'Artagnan and later Count d'Artagnan ( 1611 – 25 June 1673), was a French Musketeer who served Louis XIV as captain of the Musketeers of the Guard. He died at the siege of Maastricht in the ...

after he leaves home to become a Musketeer of the Guard. The three men of the title are his friends Athos,

Porthos Porthos, Baron du Vallon de Bracieux de Pierrefonds is a fictional character in the novels ''The Three Musketeers'' (1844), '' Twenty Years After'' (1845), and '' The Vicomte de Bragelonne'' (1847-1850) by Alexandre Dumas, père. He and the othe ...

and

Aramis René d'Herblay, alias Aramis, is a fictional character in the novels ''The Three Musketeers'' (1844), '' Twenty Years After'' (1845), and '' The Vicomte de Bragelonne'' (1847-1850) by Alexandre Dumas, père. He and the other two musketeers, A ...

. The original 1928 production on

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

, and a 1930 West End run, both starring

Dennis King Dennis King (born Dennis Pratt, 2 November 1897 – 21 May 1971) was an English actor and singer. Early years Born on 2 November 1897 in Coventry, Warwickshire, or Birmingham, England, King was the son of John and Elizabeth King Pratt. He ...

as d'Artagnan, were successful, but a 1984 attempt at a much-revised Broadway revival flopped.

Plot synopsis

In early 17th century France, the poor but virile

travels to Paris to join the Musketeers (the King's bodyguard). He meets and falls in love with Lady Constance Bonacieux, a lady-in-waiting to Queen Anne. Meanwhile,

Cardinal Richelieu Armand Jean du Plessis, Duke of Richelieu (; 9 September 1585 – 4 December 1642), known as Cardinal Richelieu, was a French clergyman and statesman. He was also known as ''l'Éminence rouge'', or "the Red Eminence", a term derived from the ...

learns that the Queen has given a diamond heart brooch, which was a present to her from the King, as a token of love to the

Duke of Buckingham Duke of Buckingham held with Duke of Chandos, referring to Buckingham, is a title that has been created several times in the peerages of England, Great Britain, and the United Kingdom. There have also been earls and marquesses of Buckingham. ...

. Richelieu suggests that the King ask the Queen to wear it at a planned royal gala. Richelieu dispatches the

Comte de Rochefort The Comte de Rochefort is a secondary fictional character in Alexandre Dumas' ''d'Artagnan Romances''. He is described as approximately 40 to 45 years old in 1625 and "fair with a scar across his cheek". In ''The Three Musketeers'' Known throug ...

and Milady de Winter to London to recover the gem, which he plans to unveil at the gala in order to reveal that the Queen has been unfaithful. The Queen asks her lady-in-waiting, Constance Bonacieux, to involve the Musketeers in the jewel's speedy recovery so that she might foil the plot. But when the Musketeers reach London, they are too late: Lady de Winter has arrived first. D’Artagnan uses his seductive charms upon Milady de Winter and steals the bauble. After a rousing sword fight, the Musketeers kill de Rochefort and rush back to Paris just in time to bring the jewel to the gala. King Louis fastens it to the Queen's shoulder just as he did when he first gave it to her.

Musical numbers

;Act I *Summer Time – Villagers *All for One – Aramis, Athos and Porthos *The 'He' for Me – Constance, Girls, Aramis, Athos and Porthos *My Sword – D'Artagnan and Company *Heart of Mine – D'Artagnan and Constance *My Sword and I – D'Artagnan and Villagers *Vesper Bell – The Pensionaires *Dreams – Queen Anne *Te Deum – D'Artagnan and Nuns *March of the Musketeers – D'Artagnan, Athos, Porthos, Aramis and Musketeers *Colonel and Major – Planchet and Girls *Love is the Sun – Queen Anne, Constance and The Duke of Buckingham *Heart of Mine (reprise) – Constance and D'Artagnan *Welcome to the Queen – Ladies and Courtiers ;Act II *With Red Wine – Porthos and Company *My Belle – Aramis *Kiss Before I Go – Constance and D'Artagnan *Pages – Albertina Rasch Dancers *Queen of My Heart – The Duke of Buckingham *Gossip – Planchet and Ladies *Until We Say Goodbye – Constance Bonacieux The 1984 revival deleted many of the original songs, added other Friml songs, and moved others to different positions in the story.

Productions

;Original production The original

production was produced by

Florenz Ziegfeld Florenz Edward Ziegfeld Jr. (; March 21, 1867 – July 22, 1932) was an American Broadway impresario, notable for his series of theatrical revues, the ''Ziegfeld Follies'' (1907–1931), inspired by the ''Folies Bergère'' of Paris. He also p ...

, directed by

librettist A libretto (Italian for "booklet") is the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata or musical. The term ''libretto'' is also sometimes used to refer to the text of major litu ...

McGuire, and choreographed by

Albertina Rasch Albertina Rasch (January 19, 1891 – October 2, 1967) was a naturalized American dancer, company director, and choreographer. Early life Rasch was born in 1891 (although she would later shave five years off her age), in Vienna (in what was ...

. It opened on March 13, 1928 at the Lyric Theatre and ran for 318 performances. The cast included

as d'Artagnan, Douglass R. Dumbrille as Athos, Detmar Poppen as Porthos, Joseph Macaulay as Aramis, Clarence Derwent as

Louis XIII of France Louis XIII (; sometimes called the Just; 27 September 1601 – 14 May 1643) was King of France from 1610 until his death in 1643 and King of Navarre (as Louis II) from 1610 to 1620, when the crown of Navarre was merged with the French crow ...

Vivienne Segal Vivienne Sonia Segal (April 19, 1897 – December 29, 1992) was an American actress and singer. Early years Segal was born on April 19, 1897, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She was the elder daughter of Jewish parents Bernhard Segal, a physician, ...

as Constance Bonacieux, and

Reginald Owen John Reginald Owen (5 August 1887 – 5 November 1972) was a British actor. He was known for his many roles in British and American films and television programs. Career The son of Joseph and Frances Owen, Reginald Owen studied at Sir Herbert ...

. ;1930 West End King reprised his role for a 1930 West End production at the

Theatre Royal, Drury Lane The Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, commonly known as Drury Lane, is a West End theatre and Grade I listed building in Covent Garden, London, England. The building faces Catherine Street (earlier named Bridges or Brydges Street) and backs onto Dr ...

that ran for 242 performances. The cast also included

Marie Ney Marie may refer to: People Name * Marie (given name) * Marie (Japanese given name) * Marie (murder victim), girl who was killed in Florida after being pushed in front of a moving vehicle in 1973 * Marie (died 1759), an enslaved Cree person in Tr ...

as Lady De Winter,

Jerry Verno Jerry Verno (26 July 1895 – 29 June 1975) was a British film actor. He appeared in 39 films between 1931 and 1966, including five films directed by Michael Powell, and two with Alfred Hitchcock. He was born in London. As well as appearing i ...

as Planchet,

Webster Booth Webster Booth (21 January 1902 – 21 June 1984) was an English tenor, best remembered as the duettist partner of Anne Ziegler. He was also one of the finest tenors of his generation and was a distinguished oratorio soloist. He was a chorister ...

as The Duke of Buckingham and

Arthur Wontner Arthur Wontner (21 January 1875 – 10 July 1960) was a British actor best known for playing Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's master detective Sherlock Holmes in five films from 1931 to 1937. Career Wontner's acting career began on the stage where h ...

as Cardinal Richelieu. ;1984 Broadway A 1984 revival with a new book by

Mark Bramble Mark Bramble (December 7, 1950 – February 20, 2019) was an American theatre director, author, and producer. He was nominated for a Tony Award three times, for the Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical for '' Barnum'' and '' 42nd Street'' (1981) ...

was directed by

Tom O'Horgan Tom O'Horgan (May 3, 1924 – January 11, 2009) was an American theatre and film director, composer, actor and musician. He is best known for his Broadway work as director of the hit musicals '' Hair'' and ''Jesus Christ Superstar''. During his ...

, but shortly before opening,

Joe Layton Joe Layton (May 3, 1931 – May 5, 1994) was an American director and choreographer known primarily for his work on Broadway.Dunning, Jennifer. (9 May 1994). Page B7.'Joe Layton, Choreographer And Director, Is Dead at 64' Obituary. New York Ti ...

replaced O'Horgan.''The Three Musketeers''
IBDB database, accessed May 10, 2012 The dance choreography was by Lester Wilson. After 15 previews, it opened on November 11 at The Broadway Theatre.Rich, Frank
"Review, A Musical 'Three Musketeers' Opens"
''The New York Times'', November 12, 1984 It closed after just 9 performances despite a cast that included

Michael Praed Michael Praed ( ; born 1 April 1960), birth name Michael David Prince, is a British actor and narrator, probably best remembered for his role as Robin of Loxley in the British television series ''Robin of Sherwood'', which attained cult status ...

as d'Artagnan,

Chuck Wagner Chuck Wagner is an American actor, director, musical theater historian and teacher. He has had an extensive career in theater, but is perhaps best known for co-starring in the short-lived science fiction TV series ''Automan'' (1983–84). Notabl ...

as Athos, Ron Taylor as Porthos,

Brent Spiner Brent Jay Spiner (; born February 2, 1949) is an American actor. He is best known for his role as the android Data on the television series '' Star Trek: The Next Generation'', as well as four subsequent films. In 2019, he reprised the role for ...

as Aramis,

Roy Brocksmith Roy Brocksmith (September 15, 1945 – December 16, 2001) was an American actor. Life and career Brocksmith was born in Quincy, Illinois, the son of Vera Marguerite (''née'' Hartwig) and Otis E. Brocksmith, who was a mechanic. He graduated from ...

as Louis XIII, Liz Callaway as Lady Constance Bonacieux, Marianne Tatum as Milady de Winter and

Ed Dixon Ed Dixon (born September 2, 1948 in Oklahoma) is an American character actor, playwright and composer. Actor Dixon has appeared in numerous Broadway shows, including ''No, No, Nanette'', ''The King of Schnorrers'', ''The Three Musketeers'', ''Le ...

as Cardinal Richelieu. Tatum was nominated for the

Drama Desk Award The Drama Desk Award is an annual prize recognizing excellence in New York theatre. First bestowed in 1955 as the Vernon Rice Award, the prize initially honored Off-Broadway productions, as well as Off-off-Broadway, and those in the vicinity. F ...

for Outstanding Featured Actress in a Musical. In his review in ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'',

Frank Rich Frank Hart Rich Jr. (born 1949) is an American essayist and liberal op-ed columnist, who held various positions within ''The New York Times'' from 1980 to 2011. He has also produced television series and documentaries for HBO. Rich is curren ...

commented:

"''The Three Musketeers'' is a good-natured attempt to jazz up Rudolf Friml's Dumas-inspired operetta ... much as the
New York Shakespeare Festival Shakespeare in the Park (or Free Shakespeare in the Park) is a theatrical program that stages productions of Shakespearean plays at the Delacorte Theater, an open-air theater in New York City's Central Park. The theater and the productions ar ...
retooled ''
The Pirates of Penzance ''The Pirates of Penzance; or, The Slave of Duty'' is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. Its official premiere was at the Fifth Avenue Theatre in New York City on 31 December 187 ...
'' a few seasons ago. But this time the source material is many rungs below
Gilbert and Sullivan Gilbert and Sullivan was a Victorian era, Victorian-era theatrical partnership of the dramatist W. S. Gilbert (1836–1911) and the composer Arthur Sullivan (1842–1900), who jointly created fourteen comic operas between 1871 and 1896, of which ...
– and the new accouterments add no wit, style, sexiness or show-biz dazzle. ... Mark Bramble s.. idea of writing a musical book ... is to minimize the book. The baroque plot of ''The Three Musketeers'' is so frenetically and confusingly conveyed that no child is likely to understand who the Duke of Buckingham is, or why Cardinal Richelieu is such a pill, or why everyone is chasing after a diamond brooch throughout Act II. ... The title characters ... often seem like interchangeable stand-ins for the
Three Stooges The Three Stooges were an American vaudeville and comedy team active from 1922 until 1970, best remembered for their 190 short subject films by Columbia Pictures. Their hallmark styles were physical farce and slapstick. Six Stooges appeare ...
. ... Joe Layton has tried to give the show the illusion of excitement by staging it at a frantic pace and by sending the actors running up and down the aisles ... uteveryone seems to be scurrying pointlessly about just to keep busy. After a while, the company begins to look like a road troupe of ''
Camelot Camelot is a castle and court associated with the legendary King Arthur. Absent in the early Arthurian material, Camelot first appeared in 12th-century French romances and, since the Lancelot-Grail cycle, eventually came to be described as th ...
'' on amphetamines."

;2010 and 2011 South Korea A South Korean production ran from December 15, 2010 to mid-January 2011 starring Kyuhyun and Jay "Typhoon" Kim rotating as

D'Artagnan Charles de Batz de Castelmore (), also known as d'Artagnan and later Count d'Artagnan ( 1611 – 25 June 1673), was a French Musketeer who served Louis XIV as captain of the Musketeers of the Guard. He died at the siege of Maastricht in the ...

, along with

Dana Hong Hong Sung-mi (born 17 July 1986), known professionally as Dana, is a South Korean singer, musical actress and vocal coach. Dana first made her public appearance with acts on the boy group H.O.T's sci-fi movie ''Age of Peace'' in 2000. Dana l ...

at Chungmu Arts Hall in

Seoul Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the Capital city, capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the North Korea, Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea ...

. Another production ran from November 3, 2011 to late December 2011, starring

Heo Young-saeng Heo Young-saeng (; born: November 3, 1986)

and Oh Won-bin alternating as

."SS501′s Heo Young Saeng and Oh Won Bin Will Star in the "Three Musketeers" Musical"
''Soompi''. Retrieved 2013-08-19.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Three Musketeers, The 1928 musicals Broadway musicals Compositions by Rudolf Friml Musicals based on novels West End musicals Works based on The Three Musketeers Cultural depictions of Cardinal Richelieu Cultural depictions of Louis XIII Musicals based on works by Alexandre Dumas