Off the Ground Theatre are busy sharpening their rapiers, practising lunges and flirting outrageously in preparation for this summer’s touring production of The Musketeers. There will be overwhelming amounts of swash and buckle as the, now slightly older, heroes with a little help from Athos’ son and D’Artagnan’s daughter, charm women (and some men), quaff wine and fight off Spanish and Dutch spies- all in the name of France.
This new story, written especially for the company by Daniel Cambridge, brings the Musketeers back together after they first met twenty years ago and this time, the whole future of Europe is at stake as mysterious powers aim to topple the most powerful people throughout the continent. With full-blooded and fanciful fighting, live music and a 15 strong cast this promises to be a real summer spectacle.
Off the Ground Theatre started working on the Wirral 19 years ago and have produced over a hundred shows, featuring young talent from across Merseyside and the Northwest. This will be the company’s twentieth summer tour.
The Musketeers is being directed by Chris Tomlinson and OTG’s artistic director, Dan Meigh. Chris, who recently directed Until They Kick Us Out and assisted on A Midsummer Night’s Dream, both at The Everyman, said, “The OTG summer tour is always so much fun. There is always such an exciting mix of tour troopers who have done it before and new faces who have no idea what to expect. But by the time we open the first show we’re a proper company, partly due to the hard work we have to put in – there’s going to be a lot of sword play and fancy footwork we’re going to have to learn this year – and partly because we all want to put on a great show. The big cast, the story and the great routines should mark this out as a bit special.”
One of the main aims of Off the Ground Theatre is to encourage talent from the Northwest and this year’s cast recent graduates from OTG and YEP, as well as university graduates gaining their first professional experience. In the words of Dan Meigh, “The talent of our young cast is so impressive, this could easily be one of those productions where you say, “Oh, I saw them first, before they were famous, in The Musketeers.”
Tickets can be purchased by telephone on 0151 625 2929 or online at Online: www.offtheground.co.uk. Tickets are priced at £11 with concessions available at £8 and £5 for the under 21s.
Tour dates and venues
Saturday 25th July – Claremont Farm, Wirral
Sunday 26th July – Lancaster Castle
Tuesday 28th – Queens Park, Meols
Wednesday 29th – Maesmor Hall, Maerdy, Nr. Corwen
Friday 31st – Plas Newydd, Llangollen
Saturday August 1st – Royden Park, Wirral
Sunday August 2nd – Hoghton Tower, Nr. Preston
Wednesday August 5th – Gwaenynog, Denbigh
Thursday August 6th – Burton Manor, S. Wirral
Tuesday August 11th – Barberstown Castle, Co Kildare
Thursday August 13th – Glebe House, West Cork
Friday August 14th – Derreen House, Co Kerry
Saturday August 15th – Sherkin Island, West Cork
Tuesday August 18th – Lisnavagh, Co Carlow
Wednesday August 19th – Drimnagh Castle, Dublin
Thursday August 20th – Killruddery House, Co Wicklow
Saturday August 22nd – Philipstown House, Co Louth
Sunday August 23rd – Killyleagh Castle, Co Down