Idle Muse: The Three Musketeers
Xavier Lagunas, Jack Sharkey, and Boomer Lusink
Idle Muse Theatre Company Presents THE THREE MUSKETEERS Review - A Grand, Swashbuckling Adventure
TLDR: Adapted from the novel of the same name, The Three Musketeers takes us on an epic, swashbuckling journey across France and England as this elite group of the king’s guard sets out to protect their brothers and country. Though on the longer side trying to capture every piece of the adventure, the cast delivers on the ambition of the playwright in a full, grand adventure.
Boomer Lusink, Brendan Hutt, Vanessa Copeland, and Sam Neel
The Real Treasure Was the Friends We Made Along the Way
Starting off with a bang and a chuckle, Troy Schaeflein plays the hopeful, yet impetuous D’Artagnan as he barrels his way through his first swashbuckling encounter. Though he ends up on the short end of the sword and loses his letter of introduction that would’ve helped him towards his dream, D’Artagnan manages to find himself in the presence of the fabled Musketeers.
After insulting each of the titular three musketeers and subsequently proving his worth, D’Artagnan sets off on a journey with Athos, Porthos, and Aramis to prove he’s worthy of joining the brotherhood in this adaptation of The Three Musketeers. Thick as thieves, the four find themselves entrenched in the war between King Louis XIII and Cardinal Richelieu.
Jack Sharkey, Boomer Lusink, and Xavier Lagunas create each of their musketeer’s distinct personalities to round out the trio. Lusnik dons a cloak in rich fabric and stands with his head held high, always in a fashionable pose as Porthos. Lagunas looks at home in his priest garb, but like Aramis, we don’t quite believe he’s ready to give up his love of women when he receives a letter from his love. And Sharkey as Athos with a wine bottle as a permanent accessory, is a gallant leader hurt by a mysterious past and yet still manages to lead his team to victory time and time again.
Throughout the play, these four have us believing in the strength of friendship as they encounter every challenge under the sun, but no matter what, it will always be all for one, and one for all!
Creative World Building
Of course we can’t expect to travel from France to England and back at a moment’s notice, so we get creative with staging to make the thousand mile journey. As the musketeers set off to England, they mount their “horses” aka boxes on wheels with handles that twist and pivot quickly as they “gallop” across the countries (designed by Becky Warner). They’re accompanied by a soundtrack composed by L.J. Luthringer fit for an action-adventure movie.
It’s a simple set otherwise, with smaller furniture pieces already present framing the main wooden platform stage. Otherwise the majority of our action takes place in the big, open space, which for all the fights that happen, the space is absolutely necessary. It becomes the town square as D’Artagnan chases a suspicious character through the throng of people. It becomes the road where Richelieu's henchmen attempt to stop the musketeers from reaching England. And it becomes the place where all the connections happen - where D’Artagnan and Constance (Jamie Redwood) fall in love, where Milady (Jennifer Mohr) reveals the double edged sword she was dealt, and where the musketeers always come back together.
Caty Gordon and Benjamin Jouras
The After Party Thoughts
Adapting The Three Musketeers into a play was always going to be an ambitious project. The cast and crew of Idle Muse’s production rises up to the ambition of playwright Robert Kauzlaric and captures the heart of the work in Act One. The second act loses its punch though, in this writer’s opinion. We’re enraptured with Act One where there’s swashbuckling, comedy, political intrigue, deception, and a love story. But we lose all that momentum in the second act as they try to build towards a second climax and put a whole new set of pieces together for what feels like a second story.
While the second act feels like it could use some editing, overall if you’re a fan of adventure and literary adaptations, this production of The Three Musketeers has everything you’re looking for!
RECOMMENDED
Xavier Lagunas, Jack Sharkey, Troy Schaeflein, and Boomer Lusink
When
Now through April 25, 2026
Where
The Edge Off-Broadway
1133 W. Catalpa Ave.
Chicago, IL 60640
Runtime: 2hrs, 45min, including an intermission
Tickets
$20+
Tickets can be purchased by calling the box office at 773.340.9438 or through the Idle Muse Theatre website
Photos
Steven Townshend
Find Allie and The After Party featured on Theatre in Chicago
Eric Duhon
CAST
Troy Schaeflein (D’Artagnan)
Jack Sharkey (Athos)
Boomer Lusink (Porthos)
Xavier Lagunas (Aramis)
Jennifer Mohr (Milady)
Joel Thompson (Rochefort)
Eric Duhon (Richelieu)
Benjamin Jouras (Louis XIII/Buckingham)
Erik Schnitger (Treville)
Vanessa Copeland (Jane Felton/Bonacieux)
Brendan Hutt (Laporte)
Sam Neel (Combat Ensemble)
Jamie Redwood (Constance)
Caty Gordon (Queen Anne)
Ian Saderholm (u/s D’Artagnan)
Elise Soeder (u/s Milady)
Emily Pfriem (u/s Constance, u/s Jane Felton)
Emely Cuestas (u/s Queen Anne)
Alex George (u/s Porthos)
Malachi Marrero (u/s Rochefort)
Rick Adams (u/s Combat Ensemble)
Derek Preston Ray (u/s Louis XIII/Buckingham)
Alex Hultman (u/s Laporte, u/s Aramis)
CREATIVE
Robert Kauzlaric (Playwright)
Evan Jackson (Director)
Kati Lechner (Production manager, health and safety officer)
Lindsey Chidester (Stage Manager)
Libby Beyreis (Assistant Director, Violence Director)
Brendan Hutt (Violence Director)
Erin Alys (Intimacy Director)
Jeremiah Barr (Technical Director, Master Carpenter)
Tristan Brandon (Health and Safety Officer, Props Designer)
Becky Warner (Props Designer)
Beth Bruins (Assistant Stage Manager)
Emma Rund (Dramaturg)
Laura J. Wiley (Lighting Designer)
L.J. Luthringer (Sound Designer and Composer)
Vicki Jablonski (Costume Designer)
Breezy Snyder (Scenic Painter)
Mara Kovacevic (House Manager)
Mario Mazzetti (Dialect and Voice Direction)
Elizabeth Macdougald (Rehearsal Fight Coach)
Caty Gordon (Marketing & Social Media)
Michael Dalberg (Literary Director)