Class Act Productions is really working overtime with this production, with it only being little over a week since their last show, Jessie's Tree. This time, it is the turn of the adults in the company. I really felt for the cast in the vast space of the Parkway Theatre as they had to compete for an audience with other theatre productions locally. The blockbuster musical Sister Act is at Grimsby Auditorium (see our review from earlier this week) and Blaze's much-vaunted production of The Beauty and The Beast in Louth (which sadly, we have been unable to review despite receiving an invitation). As a result, the audience was smaller than might have been hoped and when spread out over the expanse of Screen 1 at the Parkway, looks smaller than it actually is. The cast had to work exceptionally hard to reach the audience further back - despite inviting them to come forward to watch the show.
This production is an exceptionally tongue-in-cheek version of the classic by Alexander Dumas, performed with a small cast and requiring extreme suspension of disbelief as pushbikes become horses and the cast jump between characters with a simple change of a piece of costume or a wig. It is a frenetic feast and rich with silliness. Once the cast really find their pace, it zips along wonderfully and everyone can enjoy the lunacy on display here.
Director Amanda Pierce has done a good job casting the show with some strong comedic performances from her cast. The set is suitably adaptive and flexible to allow the story to move swiftly and sumptuous rear projections work effectively in setting each scene.
As the young and impressionable D'Artagnan, Chris Parker does a fine job whether it be as the wide-eyed, impetuous, lovelorn teen aspiring to be a musketeer, or as the gullible and slightly dim prison guard later on, replete with eye patch. He succeeds in bringing the character and the world to life effectively and manages to milk his lines for laughs throughout.
The titular musketeers are played by Kim Stuart as Porthos, Declan Rising as Athos and Louise Reece as Aramis. Each also fills out the cavalcade of bizarre and unexpected grotesques required to populate the play. Stuart is wonderful as the dangerously lethal Milady de Winter, ready to use her feminine wiles to seduce any man who can give her something to advance her position of power throughout. This is often cleverly played behind a shaking trellis, which suggests precisely what is needed without the need to show the audience. Reece also plays the major villain of the show as the devilishly, manipulative Cardinal Richelieu. This is a terrific contrast to her portrayal of the holier than though Aramis and she strides confidently as the Cardinal seeking to undermine the King, the Queen and the musketeers. But it is Rising who REALLY has his work cut out playing six different roles as the pace speeds up. His King Louis is really funny and almost had the cast corpsing on stage at times. His comic timing is fabulous and he hits the ground running at the start of the play whereas others need a little time to warm to the audience.
The cast is then filled out with four other performers multi-roleplaying. Ann Forward is a haughty Queen, carrying on an affair with the British Prime Minister and gets some lovely lines as she hen pecks and cuckolds her husband, aided and abetted by the musketeers. Tracey Gallagher is wonderful as Kitty and really brings her strong comic presence to the stage in this confident performance. Daniel Mason's principal role is as Lord Buckingham, the rather dim-witted Brit obsessed with his affection for the French Queen and his death (Oops spoilers!) scene was well-timed. With another strong performance, Abbie Dixon portrays seven characters, including the apple of D'Artagnan's eye, Constance. Dixon's willingness to send herself up is admirable and she is fearless when throwing herself about the stage.
The pace definitely improves in the second act of the play and the cast settle into the genre better after the interval, but it is a genuinely funny play with bucket loads of silliness, including balloon swords and phoney accents. I hope that as they perform their final show this evening, they get the audience that they deserve. Tickets are available from the Parkway box office.
Andy Evans 5 July 2024
At the time of writing no production photographs were available - it is hoped that it might be possible to add photographs later.
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