Three Musketeers Storm the Synetic Stage

By definition, a classic is timeless. But a classic piece of literature is even more. With a subtle emphasis shift or some minor tweaking, a classic story can become a completely contemporary tale. And such is the case with Synetic Theater's current production of The Three Musketeers, based on the famed novel by Alexander Dumas.

The story was adapted by multi-talented company player Ben Kunis, who also plays Athos in the 2-hour production. "This is a story about dreams meeting reality," Kunis says. "Attempting to distill Dumas' serial epic into dramatic form is, in itself, an idealistic venture."

"We found ourselves telling a story about our own generation," Kunis explained. "Graduating from high school at the end of 90's and into the War of Terror and graduating from college into the Great Recession, our generation has been one raised on idealism and confronted with a real world that doesn't quite match our expectations."

"So D'Artagnan (Dumas' main hero) comes to Paris with a dream, and the world is a different place than he expected. When he comes out the other end of his challenges, he has become something new. But this storyline is not one unique to D'Artagnan or our generation, and that's what makes it a great classic," Kunis added.

If you attend this play which is running until June 9 (and you definitely should), expect to see all the trademarks that have established Synetic as an award-winning DC theater company - exciting fight scenes, captivating dancing, mimed movements, provocative sets, and powerful music. However, there is one major difference. Long known for its silent Shakespeare series and no-dialogue versions of other classic stories, The Three Musketeers is filled with words. Founding Artistic Director and CEO Paata Tsikurishvili describes it this way: "What this collision of words and movement has produced is a truly larger-than-life tragicomic romance which, while perhaps not as surreal or abstract as some of our previous works, nevertheless remains a stylized fusion of Dumas' novel."

Tales, Tidbits, and Tips
Here's what others are saying about The Three Musketeers. Just click on links to read the reviews. Three Musketeers Goes Full Throttle on the Senses (The Washington Post).  It dances! It swashbuckles! It talks! Synetic's Three Musketeers Is One for All. (The Washington City Paper) Dazzling Fight Choreography Makes This Synetic Production Shine. (The Washingtonian). To view the official trailer, click here.