Here come one baguette, one dodgy steed, Three Musketeers… and four bicycles

Re-cycling a familiar French adventure: Le Navet Bete in The Three Musketeers. Picture: Mark Dawson

AFTER Dracula: The Bloody Truth and Dick Tracy, travelling players Le Navet Bete come armed only with a baguette and a questionable steed on their latest adventure.

The award-winning Essex physical comedy troupe ride into York Theatre Royal on February 7 and 8 with The Three Musketeers: A Comedy Adventure.

The main-house stage transforms into the French countryside as hot-headed D’Artagnan travels to Paris full of childish excitement and misplaced bravado to become a Musketeer. Will things go to plan? Unlikely, but at least this chaotic caper will be in the hands of four actors wholly assured in taking on more than 30 character portrayals.

“Sorry, I’m tied up for February 7 and 8 already. I’ll be at York Theatre Royal”. Picture: Matt Austin

Billed as their biggest and most riotous show to date, The Three Musketeers: A Comedy Adventure is the sixth time Le Navet Bete have worked with comedy director John Nicholson, co-artistic director of Peepolykus and regular comedy writer for television and radio.

“This time we’ve collaborated on a comedy version of Alexander Dumas’s classic French tale, turning it on its head,” say Le Navet Bete, who have worked on the show with choreographer Lea Anderson and set designer Ti Green too. “Expect all the main characters from the book, but in ways you wouldn’t expect to see them,” they tease.

Le Navet Bete and Exeter Northcott Theatre present The Three Musketeers: A Comedy Adventure, York Theatre Royal, February 7 and 8, 7.30pm and 2.30pm Saturday matinee. Box office: 01904 623568 or at yorktheatreroyal.co.uk. Suitable for age seven upwards.

What’s in a name?

La Navet Bete means “the daft turnip”.