An Interview with Playwright Catherine Bush

Get to know playwright Catherine Bush, the spectacular mind behind our adaptation of The Three Musketeers!

Orlando Shakes: What inspired you to tackle an adaptation of this classic?

Catherine Bush: Back in 2014, Barter Theatre’s former Producing Artistic Director Rick Rose was considering The Three Musketeers for his 2015 season, but he couldn’t find an adaptation that he liked, so he approached me about writing one. I had a lot of experience adapting stories for Barter’s stages and Rick was able to tell me what he wanted which, among other things, was a lot of fighting. (I think there are 8 or 9 fights in this play.) So I guess you could say I was more “hired” than “inspired.”

Orlando Shakes: What do you think makes your adaptation stand out from others?

Catherine: Well, obviously, mine’s the best. Just kidding. In all honesty, I’ve never read any other adaptation. I hadn’t even read the book before I was commissioned to adapt it. My whole goal was to keep it moving, which involved compressing the time in which the story takes place and making sure everyone’s stakes were kept as high as possible at all times. Hopefully, that compares favorably with the others.

Orlando Shakes: What was the biggest challenge you faced in adapting this classic story?

Catherine: I hated the characters as written in the book. I’m referring to the Three Musketeers and D’Artagnan. Dumas did not write them for the women of the #MeToo generation. They treated women horribly; used them when convenient then threw them away like trash. My partner had to listen to a lot of “oh my God, I HATE these guys!” exclamations while I was reading the book. (CONFESSION: I read the abridged version. I figured why not take advantage of an already cut version?) I’m a romantic who loves a noble hero – when D’Artagnan tells Constance he loves her, I wanted him to mean it and stay true to her. I wanted the Three Musketeers to be the kind of men I wouldn’t mind hanging out with – flawed, but with a sense of honor, a working knowledge of right and wrong. I wanted romance and adventure, heroes and villains – and all that informed the writing.

Photo by Tony Firriolo features Rodney Lizcano, Benjamin Bonenfant, and Walter Kmiec.

Orlando Shakes: How is an adaptation different from writing an original script?

Catherine: There’s a certain freedom in writing an original script – not knowing from one moment to the next what your character might say or do, thinking you know where it’s going to end and then being surprised when it goes in a totally different direction. Original scripts are an exhilarating rollercoaster ride. Adaptations are more like science projects; they have parameters. In one way, that’s easier – you know the beginning, the middle, and the end of the story. How you get from point A to point B to point C – while staying true to the the author’s intent – is up to you. I love the challenge of taking something written to be reflected upon and creating dramatic action and dialogue from it. Often theatrical conventions have to be invented or reinvented. Adapting is its own brand of excitement.

Orlando Shakes: Does your script have any differences from the original story? What inspired you to make those changes?

Catherine: There are lots of differences. As I mentioned before, I was trying to create a Three Musketeers that could survive and entertain the women of the #MeToo era. So there’s that. I also created scenes and relationships that don’t exist in the novel. For example, in the novel, Planchet is D’Artagnan’s lackey, not Monsieur De Treville’s servant. Rochefort and Milady are not lovers in the novel, nor are Planchet and Kitty. It’s been a while, but I believe I made up the bit with the Cardinal’s ring. These changes were made to keep the action moving forward, streamline the story, and keep the stakes up.

Orlando Shakes: Do you have a scene or character that was your favorite to write?

Photo by Tony Firriolo features Benjamin Bonenfant and Lauren Culver.

Catherine: The scene when Constance instructs D’Artagnan to take the letter to Number 75 Rue de la Harpe. D’Artagnan enacts the scene as she describes it, creating a “flash forward” effect. Suddenly, without wasting time, the audience finds itself at the rendezvous between Queen Anne and Lord Buckingham. It was quick, efficient, easy to follow, and theatrical. A very satisfying scene.

Orlando Shakes: What do you hope people take away from this production?

Catherine: When we produced The Three Musketeers here at Barter, a wonderful actor named Joe Veale played the role of D’Artagnan. One afternoon, while shopping at the grocery store, Joe noticed a little boy following him. In the dairy aisle, the little boy jumped from behind a display and yelled “En garde, Musket Man!” Joe and the boy immediately drew their imaginary swords and a fought an epic battle amongst the yogurt and sour cream. “Musket Man” eventually bought the farm near the organic milk.

If people could take away a sense of wonder, adventure, and imagination, that would be cool. If your “Musket Man” was also challenged to an imaginary sword fight in his grocery store, I would die a happy woman.

Orlando Shakes: Who or what was your biggest inspiration for becoming a playwright?

Catherine: I became a playwright in order to create work for myself as an actor. Then two things dawned on me: 1) I suck as an actor and 2) I preferred writing to auditioning. I could take control over my art versus waiting for the phone to ring. Not that I haven’t faced plenty of rejection as a playwright – I could paper a house with rejection letters – but I could always be creating. And I just love the storytelling convention of theatre, where imagination is the essential ingredient. As my friend John Hardy says “Only in theatre can you stand on a cube, call it a mountaintop, and the whole audience believes you.”

Playwrights who inspire me to work hard to get better: Arthur Miller, Jez Butterworth, Dominique Morisseau, Tony Kushner, Qui Nguyen, Martin McDonagh, and Sarah Ruhl – to name a very few.

Orlando Shakes: What is unique about your writing process?

Catherine: I think my position as Barter’s playwright-in-residence is fairly unique, which in turns affects my process because I am usually writing a play that is going to be produced. In the case of The Three Musketeers, I already knew the casting. The actor who was the original Planchet was smaller in stature, hence the reference to him as a “pipsqueak.” I also write a lot for The Barter Players, who produce plays for young audiences – between the mainstage shows and the Player shows, I’m working nonstop, which is nice.

Orlando Shakes: If you could only describe your play using four words, what would they be?

Catherine: Let the adventure begin…

ABOUT CATHERINE BUSH

Catherine Bush lives in Abingdon, Virginia where she likes to take long walks, refinish furniture, and bake fancy desserts (which is why she has to take long walks). As Barter Theatre’s playwright-in residence, she also writes plays. She has written a LOT of plays, of several different genres. You want a drama? Sure thing. A southern comedy? No problem. A historical musical? You bet. Adaptation of a classic novel? Got those, too. “Oh – how about Theatre for Young Audience plays? Bet she doesn’t have those!” You would be wrong, my friend – it’s one of her specialties. So come on in and check it out. She’s open for business. Learn more on her website.