There have been numerous iterations of “The Three Musketeers” since the novel by Alexandre Dumas was published in the 1840s, and as the years have passed, it’s become increasingly difficult to bring anything novel to the tale.

The familiarity of the story makes University Theatre’s production a safe bet, but not a particularly interesting one. There are some genuine comedic triumphs tucked away around the play’s edges, but pushing three hours, it’s too bloated and too exposition-packed for its own good.

Still, the show is quite enjoyable to look at, thanks to the impeccably detailed and impressively comprehensive costume design by Mike Buchwald.

Retiring in May after decades of designing costumes for the School of Drama, Buchwald is not going out quietly. The sheer number of costumes for the 30-plus member cast is staggering, especially considering that many characters don two or three different costumes.

Drama senior Jordan Brodess stars as D’Artagnan, the ambitious young Gascon, who travels to Paris to become one of the queen’s musketeers. He soon falls in with three of the finest musketeers, Athos (drama senior Paul Stuart), Porthos (drama junior Colin Ryan) and Aramis (drama freshman Jordan Blount).

Together, they seek to protect King Louis XIII and Queen Anne (drama sophomore Brandon Simmons, drama junior Monica Gonzalez), while going head-to-head with the guards of Cardinal Richelieu (drama professor Darryl Cox), led by the Count de Rochefort (drama senior Jonathan Contreras).

Meanwhile, D’Artagnan falls for the queen’s dressmaker, Constance Bonacieux (drama sophomore Georgia Hays).

The first act often seems to take a page from the 1993 Disney film adaptation (and, somewhat, the 1948 Gene Kelly MGM entry), opting for pratfalls and slapstick swashbuckling humor, which wasn’t all that funny when Charlie Sheen did it, and isn’t much better here.

The frequent swordplay, choreographed by fight director Matthew E. Ellis, is occasionally convincing, but becomes forced and artificial when it’s expected to provoke laughs as well as thrills.

The second act shifts into heavy exposition, extensively exploring the schemes of the traitorous Countess de Winter (drama junior Aimee Crowther). The detailed narrative stays true to the novel, but it feels like too much is attempted in the second act, and the tonal dichotomy kills the momentum.

As the three musketeers, Stuart, Ryan and Blount achieve the necessary charisma and chemistry as a trio of bickering, yet affectionate comrades. Brodess is a capable comedian, and his wide-eyed enthusiasm translates well to the part of D’Artagnan, but his mousy demeanor provides for a less suave swordsman than the part usually features.

Stealing nearly every scene he’s in (as he did in “Is He Dead?” earlier in the semester) with his mischievous silliness is drama sophomore Kevin Percival as Planchet, D’Artagnan’s manservant. Simmons also stands out for his confident and funny turn as the obliviously narcissistic king.

Scenic design, by Jon Young ,opens up the confinements of the Weitzenhoffer Theatre nicely, giving the large cast room to breathe, while lighting design, by Steven Draheim, is at its best when emphasizing the sinister nature of the cardinal.

University Theatre’s “The Three Musketeers” is mostly a case of nothing ventured, nothing gained. It has its moments, but with few risks taken to add some verve to the familiarity, the end result is far from remarkable.