THE big Christmas 2024 puzzler in the Cotswolds is whether 3 is less than 6, just like 6, or greater than 6? And if you have already been to Cirencester’s Barn Theatre this festive season, you may well have the answer.
If not, I strongly suggest you get your tickets for The Three Musketeers – Trois! quickly, as our heroes will only be there until 4th January. Billed as “a new musical adventure”, this Dumas adaptation by Alan Pollock, with music and lyrics by Lee Freeman and Mark Anderson, is a freestyle telling of the story performed by seven extraordinary actor-musicians that has you feeling exhilarated, amused and delighted from the first moment.
One of the big selling points of this production is that “local resident” Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen has designed the set and costumes, and magnificent they are. The flamboyant interior designer and TV personality has poured the essence of his practice into the show, which is full of swirling Venetian-themed designs with their magnificently colourful Carnevale outfits.
Directed by Bryan Hodgson, this all-action show is a full-blown romantic adventure that whisks its audience from the fields of Gascony to Paris, London and back to the Seine. All the vital characters are here, from debutant George Shuter’s fervent 17 year old D’Arty, and the Trois – AJ Jenks’ Athos, Marc Serratosa’s Porthos and Georgia Leila Stoller’s Aramis – to the baddies, Richelieu and Milady (who has a new and secret agenda here). Then there is Connie, our hero’s old school chum, played by Hayley Canham with her array of disguises and musical instruments. All the performers are multi-instrumentalists, and transform into a band at the drop of a feathered hat.
This colourful company is completed by the on-stage manager and pianist – and when this “character” is played by the prodigiously talented Barn favourite Sam Denia, comedy, invention and massive versatility are ensured. Not only does he exemplify the hilarious multi-tasking SM but the evil Cardinal R, Rochefort and Buckingham, the lubricious British PM, the naming of whose son is no surprise!
Georgia Leila Stoller is not only the plucky Aramis (and the drummer) but a wonderfully funny Queen of France. Ella Rose Thomas, resplendent in LL-B’s most glamorous costume, accessorised by the latest in walkie-talkies, hides her secret to the last big reveal.
This is The Barn’s show for Christmas, but it is not a Christmas Show … and that means it really has year-round legs. It should prove a worthy successor to Six, with the same fun, energy and appeal. If you can’t catch the show at Cirencester (where the run might perhaps be extended?) look out for it at a theatre near you – for years and years and years.
GP-W
Photographs by Alex Tabrizi