By Johnnie-Margaret McConnell

pop writer

Fear not young musketeers (and director). This lady owns no sword. I have no intent to create misery for you, but merely use my pen to review the play I saw.

Lee Neibert's direction of "The Three Musketeers" is full of details, especially within Mike Buchwald's costumes designs. But the flow of the show halts often, and the University of Oklahoma's Weitzenhoffer stage seems too small for the multiple, short scene changes the adaptation requires.

Alexander Dumas' 1844 newspaper serial-tale and later novel is historical fiction based on the "Memoirs de Monsieur D'Artagnan." This action-packed tale follows the pursuits of Frenchman D'Artagnan's search to become a musketeer within the king's guard.

Na?ve and fresh from the country, young D'Artagnan quickly finds himself in Paris dueling for his life with the three men with who he hopes to join rank.

Norman's own Colin Ryan plays the fighting musketeer Porthos. Ryan embodies the role of the honest and overindulging musketeer who walks with intent, as if his boot soles are filled with led. Jordan Blount and Paul Stuart, who you may remember as the artist Millet in "September," play Ryan's fellow musketeers. This trio is well cast as the brazen, all-fighting musketeers. Jordan Brodess plays the hopeful future member, D'Artagnan.

Brandon Christopher Simmons is equally well cast as the limp-wristed French King Louis XIII. With a wig as long as his staff, Simmons' mockery of the manipulated king is both subtle and deliberate when the moment calls for it.

Aimee Crowther plays the villainous Milady de Winter. She uses her beautiful, glassy, round eyes to lure in the men as she quickly banishes them with her ear-to-ear sneer. Watch out, Crowther throws a serious punch.

OU's "The Three Musketeers" calls for a large cast. Neibert's 37-member cast includes two faculty members, Darryl Cox as Cardinal Ruchelieu and Matthew E. Ellis as De Treville. Cox plays a sinister, elder cardinal, and Ellis gives the Musketeers clear direction, as well as coaching the entire cast through their fight scenes.

Fellow cast members from the Weitzenhoffer College of Fine Arts students include: Creighton Auten, Carolyn Bailey, Margie Baker, Kauhdeeme Balentine, Brad Brockman, Jonathan Contreras, Carl Culley, Jackson Ewing, Emily Ferren, Monica Gonzalez, Chris Hartman, Georgia Hays, Joey Hines, Stephen Ibach, Ethan Kahn, Connor McCollom, PJ Norton, Kevin Percival, Riley Pierce, Kelsey Ray, Mitchell Reid, Michelle Roberts, Lindsey Ruta, Laurel Sein, Suzanne Stanley, Kelly Teener, Tyler Thompson, Jack Welborn and Conner Wilson.

Other members of the production team include stage manager, Hannah Barnes; scenic designer, Jon Young; lighting designer, Steven Draheim; associate costume designers Jennifer Cozens, Lloyd Cracknell and Pamela Workman; technical director, Michael Fain; fight director, Matthew E. Ellis; dialect coach, Rena Cook and University Theatre producer, Rich Taylor.

The Three Musketeers runs tonight and Saturday at 8 with a 3 p.m. matinee on Saturday and Sunday in the Weitzenhoffer Theatre, 563 Elm Ave.

Tickets are $22 adult, $18 senior and OU faculty and staff and $14 for students with ID. Reservations can be made by calling the OU Fine Arts College Ticket Service at 325-4101 11:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.