"The Three Musketeers," a new musical adaptation of the classic Dumas novel, is an exciting adventure with more than a few plot twists. The definite star of the show is the daring D'Artagnan, robustly delivered by Ryan Boda, who endears himself to the audience from his first song to his last. How we get from one to the other is the intricate work of Clint Jefferies' book intermixed with his beautiful lyrics, which are set to music by Paul L. Johnson.

Forbidden love is the cause of most of the trouble. D'Artagnan loves Constance (Nalina Mann), wife of M. Bonacieux (Christopher Gleason) and go-between for the affair between the English Duke of Buckingham (David Garry) and France's Queen Anne (Kim Reed), which eventually leads to war. The treacherous Milady de Winter (a superb Pamela Brumley) wishes to discredit the queen and foil the union of D'Artagnan and Constance.

Milady's machinations drive much of the complicated story. Her fortunes ebb and flow; she is even incarcerated at one point. Ultimately, she fails to vanquish the queen, but succeeds in poisoning Constance, who dies in D'Artagnan's arms.

The well-worn plot can seem cliché, but the cast pulls it off successfully. Stephen Cabral, David Weitzer, and David Velarde perfectly capture the musketeer spirit of honor and duty. Their genuine camaraderie and excellent swordplay add to the excitement. Josh Grisetti provides a touch of humor as a flamboyantly gay King Louis XIII. Alexander Elisa is a watchful and stern prison warden. Other cast members deserving mention are David Macaluso as Cardinal Richelieu and Reed as Queen Anne.

The direction by Jeffery Corrick is fluid and makes excellent use of several playing areas on stage. Tom Claypool's period costumes are exquisite, Kate Swan's choreography serves the action quite well, and the fight scenes by Kymberli E. Morris are convincing.