“The Three Musketeers”, a Bermudian pantomime. 1996. Part 4. Written by Warren Cabral.

`The Three Musketeers' is based on Dumas' classic French adventure tale, but author Warren Cabral has given the popular story a decidedly Bermudian flavour.
"It's part and parcel of the traditional panto that you localise it, through topical jokes and so on. I have taken that custom to the next logical step, with three Bermudian characters who are themselves and, in the story, Bermudians. They are the Three Musketeers of the Bermuda Regiment,'' explains Mr. Cabral.
Artistic director is Patricia Pogson who, with a string of theatrical successes to her name, became the Island's first professional director of Jabulani Repertory Company and the Department of Youth and Sport's Annual Road Show.
"I chose Patricia,'' says Mr. Cabral, "because of her reputation for excellence and my belief that, as a Bermudian, she could stage Bermudian material accurately and would have an intimate knowledge of what this is all about!''
In casting the Three Musketeers (named Athos, Porthos and Aramis in the novel), the author reimagined them as three typical Bermudian `characters'. "The first one is `Ace Boy', the common Bermudian male who likes to take it easy. I'm sure everyone will be pleased to know that he'll be played by Ed Christopher. If you put dreadlocks on him he'd be a real `irie mon'!'' The second Musketeer is Portly, with Angelo Pimental taking on his first major acting role. "He's just hilarious,'' says Mr. Cabral, "a very good actor with a natural Bermudian accent. When you pit this Portuguese guy against `irie mon' it's a great basis for comedy.'' The last member of this gallant trio is Adrian Beasley (recently seen in `Dracula Spectacula' at Saltus Grammar School) taking on the role of "the manic, up-tight white boy.'' The notion of these three characters, says Mr. Cabral, follows on from the three Bermudian `Axperts' who proved to be such a hit with audiences in `Sinbad'. The story centres around D'Artagnon who, aspiring to be the Fourth Musketeer and assisted by the other three, tries to save the Queen from the evil machinations of both her dotty husband and his evil advisor, Cardinal Richilieu.
D'Artagnon is played by Daren Herbert: www.imdb.com/n... . He is a major theatrical find, playing the would-be Musketeer and this romantic lead role is different from the norm, in that he starts out a bit prissy -- and ends up as crazy as the rest of them.'' No panto would be complete, of course, without a Dame which, in keeping with the peculiarities of English theatrical tradition, is always played by a man -- usually a comedian revelling in the obvious opportunities presented by dressing up in drag and behaving as outrageously as possible. Accustomed as he is to donning robes and wigs for his day job, this role should nevertheless present quite a challenge to lawyer Mark Pettingill. "We haven't asked him yet about shaving off his beard,'' confides Mr. Cabral. "That's a rather delicate question -- but I shall have to raise it soon.