D'artagnan and The Three Musketeers a stage adaptation of Alexandre Dumas' book The Three Musketeers, has been attracting large audiences at The Clara Nunes Theatre in Rio de Janeiro. Adapted and directed by actor Pedro Vasconcellos, the play opened May 10, 1998 running in Rio through September 1998.

Although attentive to the fact that the knowledge of classical theatre should never be abandoned, twenty-six-years-old director Pedro Vasconcellos feels that he is able to change things in a positive way.

The production is geared towards young audiences. The director thinks that most plays made for young people, don´t reach the public because in their scripts there´s a lack of objectivity, movement and speed, which the teenage audience is used to dealing with.

In D'artagnan and The Three Musketeers the scenes are a bit shortened and performed under spotlights which conduct simultaneously the public attention to different points on stage."Everything was created with such an incredible rhythm and action, like a speed of a video-clip," explains Vasconcellos.

With the same liveliness found in the original historical novel, the play reveals the political and affectionate liaisons ocurred in the French Court of Louis XVIII in the XVI Century. D'artagnan, a young man who dreams of being a musketeer is involved in adventures of life and death, after falling in love with the Queen Constance´s lady-in-waiting. The Production stars a young cast of famous Brazilian actors: Rodrigo Santoro as D'artagnan, Luana Piovani plays Mylady. Marcelo Faria, Pedro Vasconcellos and Thierry Figueira represent the Three Musketeers and Bebel Lobo is the Queen Constance.

Tickets cost R$25,00-R$30,00. Performances Thursday - Saturday, 9 PM and Sun - 8 PM. Information call 021 274 9696 at The Clara Nunes Theatre in Rio de Janeiro.

--By Nertutila Achao
Brazil Correspondent