Adventure awaits in “The Three Musketeers,” the newest production set to launch at the Whidbey Children’s Theatre in Langley.

The French classic, featuring a high school cast and a few middle school students, is full of comedy, drama and romance that wouldn’t be complete without some extensive swordfights – 17 different scenes, to be exact, involve stage combat.

Director Cait Cassee confessed to spending many late nights working on the complex blocking of these scenes. She and her son, Callum, choreographed the scenes together.

Callum, a 2021 South Whidbey High School alum, plays the role of protagonist D’Artagnan. For him, the action-packed production feels both good to watch and good to be in.

“Fighting is one of my favorite things to do in these plays and the people who are in this cast are the most capable fighters we have ever had,” he said, “and everyone in this cast has done at least a little bit of training, some a lot, some a little. Even the people who have done a little are very impressive, frankly.”

Actors are equipped with epees, rather than wooden swords that the theater has used in past productions.

The theater’s version of the play follows the 2006 script written by Ken Ludwig, with some surprises.

“What I think audiences will see when they watch our version is it’s very much a callback to the Errol Flynn kind of era of Hollywood, where pretty much every movie that was being made had swashbuckling in it of some style,” Callum said.

Lily Fisher, a fellow 2021 alum who plays Musketeer Aramis, summed up the production in these words: “Good, classic, bantery, swashbuckling. It’s like the swashbuckling play, you know?”

Just like in the theater’s fall production, actors will be wearing masks for the entirety of the play.

“There’s a lot of running around the stage with swords. With the masks, the stage lights are hot,” said sophomore Lyle Vande Werfhorst, who plays dual roles of Monsieur Treville and the Duke of Buckingham.

“The masks are particularly sort of frustrating in this show,” Fisher said. “Obviously I’m not averse to them, but it’s just like the script does have a lot of emotional nuance and I find myself – as I’ve been doing for as long as I’ve been doing theater – acting with my entire face and I just forget some of it’s not there to the audience.”

Fisher added that it has been difficult to adapt to playing a complicated role requiring a lot of emotion.

Actors all agreed that the play is well-paced and has a balance of different genres.

“It’s nice because there’s some really serious topics, but also it’s funny,” Vande Werfhorst said. “We’re stabbing each other, but oh, haha, he has an ugly hat.”

“It’s a really fun script,” said freshman Kenneth Martin, who portrays Musketeer Porthos. “There’s a lot of comedic bits and also some heavier, emotional moments. It’s really fun to see what the different actors do with those different parts of the script.”

“I hope people are impressed because there’s been genuine sweat poured into this and I think it looks really good,” Callum said.

Capacity in the theater is limited to 100 seats, which are socially distanced. Audience members 18 years of age and older must either show proof of COVID-19 vaccination or a laboratory-authenticated negative COVID test taken within three days of admission. Patrons ages 5 and up must wear masks, regardless of vaccination status.

Because of the length of the play and its content, the theater asks that no babes in arms be brought.

Tickets are $12 and must be purchased in advance, either online at wctmagic.org or by emailing contact@wctmagic.org. Questions can also be directed to 360-221-8707.

“The Three Musketeers” runs Feb. 18-20 and 24-27. All showtimes are at 7 p.m., except for matinees at 2 p.m. on Feb. 20 and 27.

Next up in the theater’s season, high school students will be performing in “Clue” this May.

Photo by Dave Welton From left to right, Protagonist D’Artagnan (Callum Cassee) and Musketeers Athos (Aidan Martin), Porthos (Kenneth Martin) and Aramis (Lily Fisher) are all for one and one for all in the Whidbey Children Theatre’s upcoming production of “The Three Musketeers.”