All For One and One For All
Maria Lebedev | Staff Writer
An expertly performed humorous spin on a classic tale of heroism, honor, and adventure.
On Friday Sept. 29 2023, the Santa Monica College (SMC) Theatre Arts Department held a premiere showing of Ken Ludwig’s “The Three Musketeers”. The play was adapted from a French historical adventure novel by Alexandre Dumas, and directed by Theatre Arts professor, Dr. Adrianne Harrop.
As described by Ken Ludwig’s site, “The Three Musketeers” is “a tale of heroism, treachery, close escapes and above all, honor.” Soon after D’Artagnan, the protagonist, and his younger sister Sabine reach the city of Paris, they meet the famous Three Musketeers. Together, they accompany their heroes in defense of their country’s honor.
According to Harrop, this particular version of the classic tale is “probably the most popular right now.” “It’s a typical story of ‘The Three Musketeers’, but it was adapted by a very good comic writer. And there are so many adaptations of this story: old movies, new movies, and many other plays. But Ludwig’s narrative puts a new and easy twist on Dumas’ masterpiece.”
The set design for this production was rather simple: the only decoration being a wooden bridge with two staircases running down to the center stage, and two additional staircases hidden behind the curtains that led backstage. The backdrop had various scenery from French and English locations and interiors projected onto it.
According to set designer Lacey Anzelc, “those were the choices that were initiated by the director. This play goes to a lot of different places very quickly, so in this case the inconvenience of moving set pieces is distracting. It interferes with the course of the show, and takes up a lot of time.” Anzelc has been working with the SMC Theatre Arts Department since 2010, and, according to her, this was one of the first sets that was able to be finished early in the schedule. “The actors were able to use this set literally on the very first day of rehearsal, which is a luxury that I have never experienced before. And I think it really helped the actors, especially when it came to the fight choreography.” said Anzlec.
Unfortunately, the cast did not have a lot of time to practice before the opening night. Stage manager Claire German said: “We haven’t had the longest rehearsal process. The rehearsals started about a week before classes began. And in that short amount of time, the cast has done a phenomenal job, especially with the stage combat, which is a major part of this production. They made it look real, they made it safe, and made it consistent throughout the entire rehearsal process. It has been a short one, but it was very fulfilling.”
Theatre major Zachary Howard, who played the male lead, said: “For my audition, I read the script as many times as humanly possible. I tried my best to memorize all of D’Artagnan’s lines so I could get a better feel of the character and be better prepared. When getting into character, I didn’t necessarily want to copy from so many other actors who played this iconic hero. I wanted to put my own twist on the role. So, the preparation mainly consisted of me analyzing the heck out of D’Artagnan’s lines and his interactions.”
Quite a few cast members ended up having their first ever recital in this staging. “When I found out that I got the part of Constance, I was so shocked and happy,” said theatre major Jazzy Skjold-Terrell. In addition to currently getting her Associate’s in theatre, Terell is also attending nursing school. This is her first SMC production.
“I took one acting class with Dr. Harrop, and I saw that auditions for ‘The Three Musketeers’ were being held. I thought to myself: ‘I will just try out and do my best and see what happens.’ First, I read for the part of Sabine, and then I read for Constance. When I got a call back I was shocked. After the first callback I got another one, and then I got the part.” said Terrell. When it comes to the overall experience of being in the play, she recalled that the energy and the atmosphere have been amazing. “Everyone I’ve worked with here has been incredibly supportive, amazing, kind, thoughtful and generous,” said Terrell.
Terrell is not the only cast member for whom this was a debut performance. Theatre major Dereck Gallardo said: “This is the first time I’ve done any acting or anything related to theatre in my life. I’m super nervous and excited, but I heard that it’s the same thing.” Gallargo played four different characters: the father of D’Artagnan, Treville, Guard 2, and the Innkeeper.
Despite the fact that he played four separate roles, Gallardo only had to audition once. “Originally, I auditioned for the role of D’Artagnan. I was taking Dr. Harrop’s acting class, and during my audition I performed a scene from her class, which she really loved. She then told me to come to the final callbacks for the show, and do a reading of the part, and I did. Initially I didn’t think I was good enough, but then a week later they announced the cast list and I saw that I got [four] parts.” said Gallargo.
When preparing for his roles, Gallargo followed his professor’s advice. “Dr. Harrop told me to watch ‘Beauty and The Beast’, and when preparing for the role of D’Artagnan’s father, she said to impersonate Gaston", said Gallargo. Despite the fact that he was nervous to be playing four different characters, Gallargo pushed past his anxiety. “Dr. Harrop saw so much potential in me. And I’m very grateful to her for it, because in the end playing these four roles was really fun” said Gallargo.
Another SMC production first-timer, Keelin Jayne, played the role of Aramis, a musketeer who is studying to become a priest but has a hard time resisting beautiful women. When recalling the audition process, Jayne said that it was very nerve-wracking. “The first audition round went over Zoom, and it was with Dr. Harrop and Claire [German]. I’m in Dr. Harrop’s class, so having her there actually made the process easier. But the second round was in person and it was right here on the [Main] Stage. Everyone from the cast was in the audience, along with 20 or 30 more people who were trying to get parts. It was hard to do a couple of monologues in front of everyone and really project. But it gave me a taste of what it would feel like if I were given a part in the play. After I was done with my audition, though, I felt pretty relieved,” said Jayne.
When he found out he got the part of Aramis, however, Jayne said he was delighted. “Last time I was in a play, it was my senior year of high school, back in 2017. So, in a way, this feels like my first official production. I’ve never been a part of anything like this. It ended up being a really gratifying experience. At first it was kind of awkward for me to gel with everyone. But as we’ve been coming here pretty much every day for the past month, at this point there isn’t one person in the cast or crew whom I avoid. I love talking to everyone: they’re all really lovely people,” said Jayne.
The opening night drew a large crowd. The audience members, many of whom were theatre and film majors, praised the performance. “I came to see the show because I wanted to support the actors. And they did a terrific job; the show is very entertaining. The energy and the chemistry between the performers is great. I can also tell that a lot of planning went into the choreography. Everyone is also very in character. The whole thing is extremely impressive” said film major Lance Butler.
Zachary Howard’s sister, Emma, came to support her brother and was in awe of his performance. “He just grows and grows every single time I see him perform,” said Howard.
The production will run for a total of six shows in two weekends. The dates and times of the showings are: Sept. 29th and 30th at 7:30 p.m., Oct. 1st and 8th at 2:00 p.m., and Oct. 6th and 7th at 7:30 p.m. The shows will take place at the Main Stage of the SMC Main Campus on 1900 Pico Blvd., Santa Monica, CA 90405.
