The Three Musketeers
by DONALD HUTERA for the Times
published: September 26, 2006

The most dramatic event on stage at the Alhambra last Saturday occurred prior to the curtain rising. Minutes before the world premiere of Northern Ballet Theatre’s latest touring production, the artistic director, David Nixon, was informed of the death of the octogenarian Sir Malcolm Arnold. As the prolific British composer had provided the soundtrack for The Three Musketeers, it was Nixon’s duty to pass on the sad news.

Swashbuckling fights and plenty of passion
by LYNDSEY WINSHIP for the Daily Telegraph
published: September 27, 2006

It is Arnold's cinematic soundtrack that makes this ballet a sweeping drama rather than a wet costume romp, and the soaring themes, jazzy licks and folk inflections are played with relish by NBT's orchestra. Arnold's music has the effect of a big glass of pre-theatre wine: it swells the emotions and smooths off any rough edges, niggling details and petty cynicism.

Three Musketeers
by JUDITH MACKRELL for the Guardian
published: September 27, 2006

No one wears period costume with more panache than a classical dancer and no one trains up so nicely to wield a sword - which may be two reasons why David Nixon has opted to base the Northern Ballet Theatre's latest production on The Three Musketeers. With a cast resplendent in lace and slashed velvet, brocade and plumed hats, plus regular excuses for athletic fight scenes, Nixon can guarantee a spectacle in which everyone on stage looks marvellously debonair.