STAGE REVIEW : Swords Overpower ‘Musketeers’

Any staging of “The Three Musketeers” had better be swashbuckling. Well, the Rancho Santiago College Professional Actors Conservatory production does have plenty of buckle (Laura E. Deremer’s fancy costumes are just fine) and more than enough swash (sword fights break out every few minutes or so).

If only the performances were up to all the good looks and fast action. The mostly student cast throws itself into Brian Way’s adaptation of Alexander Dumas’ novel but isn’t able to make the heroic characters fully live. Too often this production feels like play-acting--hey, strap on a blade, tie on some leather britches and let’s see what happens.

Director Barbara Covington, who steered Rancho Santiago’s outstanding “Sweeney Todd” a while back, never does get the momentum going. There may be problems with Way’s adaptation (which is confusing in spots), but Covington and her actors also have trouble connecting the scenes into a coherent (and thrilling) whole.

The tale is a familiar one, and most folks will come in knowing that D’Artagnan (Mark Drake) is a poor country rube who joins up with the three musketeers in fighting for Louis XII (Randolph Rock) while Cardinal Richelieu (Vajdon Sohaili) schemes in the background.

But this show is clearly aimed at kids as well as adults. Youngsters probably will love all the swordplay (thanks to Phillip W. Beck’s choreography) but may be baffled by the story.

As for the performances, Drake’s approach is shallow, but he does communicate something of D’Artagnan’s naivete and impulsiveness. Damon Carr is fairly revealing as the thoughtful Athos, but Max Mastrangelo’s lover-boy Aramis and Alberto Correa’s brawling Porthos are too blurrily sketched. Sohaili’s Cardinal Richelieu is interestingly shady, but Rock’s king is too much of a caricature.

On the technical side, Chuck Ketter’s set is crowded--the actors really do have a lot of obstacles to avoid during their gamboling--but the craftsmanship is obvious. Monique L’Heureux’s lighting adds a professional touch.

“The Three Musketeers”

A Rancho Santiago College Professional Actors Conservatory production of Brian Way’s adaptation of Alexander Dumas’ novel. Directed by Barbara Covington. With Mark Drake, Geoff Osberg, Steve Ramirez, K.C. Crowe, Robert Doherty, James Rice, Alberto Correa, Max Mastrangelo, Damon Carr, Davida Bourland, Mary Beth Basu, William Mengle, Randolph Rock, Ryan Larson, Jennifer MacLeod, Terrance Elton, Vajdon Sohaili, Michael Dennick and Melody Doyle. Set by Chuck Ketter. Costumes by Laura E. Deremer. Lighting by Monique L’Heureux. Music and sound by Justus Matthews. Choreography by Phillip W. Beck. Plays Thursday through Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 2:30 p.m. at Rancho Santiago College’s Phillips Hall Theatre, 1530 W. 17th St., Santa Ana. $6 and $8. (714) 564-5661.