Terry Pratchett’s Guards! Guards!
Many theatre companies try to put a guaranteed crowd-pleaser as their final show for the year, a good way of guaranteeing bums-on-seats and setting yourself up financially for the year ahead. For most clubs that means a pantomime or musical, but Roleystone from time to time turn to the cult following of Terry Pratchett, including this year’s Guards! Guards!
This 29-scene play comes to life on a single Tudor style streetscape designed by Bradley Towton and Daniel Ramsell, with effective lighting designed by the set designers with Rachel Wright distinguishing different locales. Highly effective Pseudo-historical costumes from Wardrobe Co-ordinator Sarah Boyle match what we expect from the book covers and illustrated editions. Makeup from Yvette Drawer Wetherilt is excellent.
The show features a large dragon created by Ron Birch - certainly one of the best properties. It is voiced by Sam Barnett, who also beautifully plays Discworld’s most infamous character, DEATH.
Ian Banks plays unlikely romantic hero Captain Sam Vimes, in a relaxed performance. William Darlington is a delight as new Guard Carrot; Benjamin Cooke is a likeable Sergeant Colon. Caitlyn Boyle successfully gender flips to play hapless Guard Nobby Nobbs.
Our heroine Lady Sybil Ramkin, a dragon expert, is played beautifully by Yvette Drager Wetherilt, who in a dark wig could pass for actress daughter Connie. As the young lad behind me commented several times “I really like her”, a fun and admirable performance.
With a cast of twenty, it is difficult to mention everyone, but the cast were all working enthusiastically, with strong focus. However mention must be made of Kelly Kranz-Little, efficient and bookish as The Footnote, and Trent Herbertson, who as The Librarian, an orangutan, spent a very hot matinee performance hunched over in a full body fur costume.
While this is one of the better Pratchett adaptations, this is a perfect choice for existing Discworld Fans, but may leave the uninitiated feeling a little on the out.
Kimberley Shaw
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