On a warm pleasant night in central London what better way is there than to spend the evening in the grounds of the Actors Church tucked away behind Covent Garden street performers being transported by Iris theatre to La Rochelle in France in the 1620's. It is an action packed fun filled promenade performance that clearly appeals to all ages as the children in this audience are drawn into the action from the very first scene. We meet the musketeers in the middle of the siege of the La Rochelle as the Protestant Huguenots supported by the English are attacked by Catholics under Cardinal Richelieu. Two small girls are drafted in with red capes to take on Aramis in a duel. It sets the tone for the evening.
This is a classic retelling of Dumas famous novels of D'Artagnan's desire to join the musketeers, of Athos's secret past life and of the Queen of France's infidelity. But here artistic director and writer Daniel Winder gives it a twist by making D'Artangnan a female in disguise and the duplicitous spy Miliady the narrator. This elevates the female roles to central protagonists of the story , challenging the Cardinal's belief that "all men require from women is unthinking obedience" and breaking free from "scheming male politicians trying to control all women".
