This December, Haldane Drama will be adapting Ken Ludwig’s endearing and adrenaline-pumping “The Three Musketeers” onto the auditorium stage. The origins of this swashbuckling tale date back to Alexandre Dumas’ 1884 novel by the same name. The tale depicts the quick-witted and ambitious D’Artagnan in his quest to become a musketeer and a noble member of the King’s Guards. D’Artagnan encounters three elite members of the king’s musketeers: Athos, Aramis, and Porthos. The inseparables battle against the lurking forces of the conniving Cardinal Richelieu in a tale of betrayal, humor, courage, and treason. Laced between the witty dialogue and captivating cast is an element just as essential to the performance…the sword fighting.
Haldane Drama director Martha Mechalakos called in a professional this year to choreograph the scenes involving sword fighting, as she did for last year’s “Macbeth.” Gabriel Rosario is a graduate of the American Musical and Dramatic Academy as well as a faculty member in its Stage Combat Department. David Dean Hastings is Rosario’s teacher, with over 25 years of experience on and off Broadway, in regional theaters, and on national tours. They are both graciously helping to shape our show, starting with a large fight workshop. “I do fight direction. What that means is whenever you watch a movie, TV show, or a play, if there’s a fight in it, I teach people how to do that safely in a way that looks dynamic but keeps the actors safe. I do it because when I went to school for acting, they had a lot of stage combat classes and I fell in love with it, particularly with how necessary it is to tell a dynamic story while keeping everyone safe,” said Rosario. “My goal is to take these young actors and get them to a place with these weapons where the fights can look dynamic and fun while still keeping everyone safe.”
Following “Macbeth,” this is the second thrilling play Haldane Drama has put on in a row. “I saw Hudson Valley Shakespeare do [“The Three Musketeers”] quite a few years ago, and it has always stuck with me. Every few years, I pick [the script] up and look at it and think: ‘this would be so much fun to do.’ It’s more male than female heavy, and you have to have the right group of boys, so this felt like the year,” said Mechalakos. As always, the directors value the accuracy and quality of the stage combat as it pertains to the storytelling. “All you have to do is think of the story of the three musketeers and D’Artagnan, and their foils, Rochefort and Cardinal Richelieu. Sword fighting is just integral to the telling of the story. You just can’t do the show without excellent sword fighting, so you have to make sure it’s quality fighting,” she continued.
The students in the fighting workshops were entertained and expressed great enjoyment over learning the foundational skills of fight choreography and how each skill would be woven into the fighting on stage. Senior Lucius Bell, portraying D’Artagnan, learned better footwork, how to stay grounded and low in a fighting position, how to keep the shoulders and hips square, and the techniques to stay focused on an opponent: grip, parry, and attack. The prospect of stage fighting is a compelling and exciting aspect of rehearsal for the performers. “I can’t wait for all of the sword fighting that’s going to happen. But I enjoy doing every show just because of the different characters I get to play, the different lines I get to recite on stage, and the different emotions I get to express to the audience. I’m excited for the whole thing,” said Bell.
Junior Nadine Alayon, portraying Septime, was also intrigued by the workshop. “I think the epic sword battles will be really fun. The extensive sword fighting will be amusing to watch and perform. And I’m really excited to see the chemistry between all of the different actors on stage.”
The production team is putting in immense effort to transform “The Three Musketeers” into something spectacular, thought-provoking, enthralling, and, most importantly, unique to Haldane. Mechalakos is also trying to provide a movement and action coordinator to help orchestrate the ballroom scene near the backend of the play. “The Three Musketeers” will be performed on December 5 and 6. Tickets will be available online in the weeks leading up to the performance.
