The Three Musketeers and the Princess of Spain at The Belgrade

The Three Musketeers and the Princess of Spain

By Chris Hannan, Directed by Dominic Hill & Designed by Colin Richmond. Belgrade Theatre Coventry 23^rd October 2010

It’s been a long time since I’ve been back to Coventry, having spent time at the Polytechnic back in the 80s. I’d never been to the Belgrade Theatre but after seeing the promotional artwork for The Three Musketeers and the Princess of Spain, my family and I took the train to Coventry to see the final matinee.

Based loosely on the characters created by Alexandre Dumas, this is an inspired surreal retelling of the adventures of the Musketeers. In what can only be described as a cross between Baz Luhrmann’s Moulin Rouge and Tim Burton’s Beetlejuice, this production is a triumph of performance and design. The relatively small cast take on multiple roles and provide the musical accompaniment to the play, and each one acquits themselves marvellously. From a beautifully relaxed opening where minstrels roam the audience we are quickly drawn into a world where monsters lurk and heroes are waiting to return and save the day.

The story races along with fights, frights and the occasional kiss, keeping both the children and adults entranced. The design of the production is wonderful, with great use of sets and costume. One of the highlights for me was the use of puppets for both minor and major roles, again performed by members of the main cast. The way these characters came to life on stage was incredible, never lifting you out of the world that has been created.

The script and direction of the play was tight and energetic, never slowing and containing the perfect balance of comedy and tension, keeping the family entertained throughout it’s running time.

My children had this to say of the play –

It was really funny, lots of action and a tiny bit rude!

Ezekiel 10 yrs old.

I like how they used the puppets with people and I thought the monster was very gigantic.

Eloise 6 yrs old.

It’s a pity that we saw the show on its final day, as we would recommend it to everyone, both young of age and of heart. We had a fantastic time and if this is the quality of performances we can expect from the Belgrade, we shall be returning again soon.

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One of the main questions is will the film still film in New Zealand - this rather interesting clip from New Zealand TV show Close Up let's Peter Jackson set the record straight.

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Thankfully the series proved to be a success for E4 and we are due to get a second series starting in November. This is the just released trailer to promote the new series and gives you a quick catch up of events from series one. Interestingly the trailer opens with a shot of of a pivotal character who so far only appeared in the last episode of series one. If you've not seen the show go out now and pick up the DVD Boxset - Misfits - Series 1 - Complete [DVD] [2009] - and prepare yourself for one of the best British shows in ages.

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It's good to see Michael J Fox back as Marty.

 

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The trailer features some great looking effects work and I wonder if we will ever see a release here in the UK.

Click here to see trailer.

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The Walking Dead is the story of small town police officer Rick Grimes, who survives a Zombie apocalypse.  A trailer was shown at the San Diego Comic-Con recently which revealed a series that looked astounding and is on my must see TV list for the autumn.

A few days ago Daniel Kanemoto posted his version of an opening title sequence for the show, and to be honest I can't see the official version surpassing it. It is a truly inspired piece of work that fits the comic and hopefully the show that follows perfectly. 

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The trailer looks great and I wonder how long it will be before we see a release here in the UK.

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Anyway if you haven't seen it already - feast your eyes on this, I for one am excited about seeing this film.

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The Making of the "Empire Strikes Back": The Definitive Story Behind the Film by J.W. Rinzler will be released by Aurum Press Ltd on October 12th, 2010.

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The 3 Musketeers & The Princess of Spain

I was introduced today to a production coming up at the Belgrade Theatre in Coventry. The Three Musketeers and the Princess of Spain, is a three way production between the Belgrade Theatre, English Touring Theatre and Traverse Theatre Company. Written by Chris Hannan, directed by Dominic Hill and designed by Colin Richmond this production is looking to be a must see. 

Please have a look at the plays blog - The Three Musketeers & The Princess of Spain - to see some of Colin's superb set designs and artist Kev Harpers illustrations, of which I hope there will be at least a T-Shirt produced. The designs are looking very burtonesque and I'm loving the interviews and other materials available on the blog, great work Belgrade!

The play will run on the Belgrade Theatre Coventry's Main Stage from 9 - 23 Oct 2010 and I urge you to go see it if you can.

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Les Magasin Des Suicides (The Suicide Shop)

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Scott Airbender?

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Daisy

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This short is a little on the gruesome side so be warned.

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Scott Pilgrim vs. Keanu Reeves

It's time for yet another Scott Pilgrim related post and it's all thanks to the incredible work of AEmovieguy. By splicing the soundtrack to the Scott Pilgrim trailer with clips from the Matrix trilogy AEmovieguy has created something incredible - a short film that makes the Matrix sequels look okay.

Do check out all of AEmovieguys other trailer mashups - my personal favourite is the Toy Story 3 / Clash of the Titans - pure genius.

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I am an idiom

jump the gun

- to do something too soon, especially without thinking carefully about it

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