Humour, sacrifices and dragons. Guards! Guards! had it all. Sadly, this was to be Monstrous Productions’ final Pratchett adaptation. We’ve loved every play we’ve seen and we’re gutted it’s all over. This was a fantastic play for them to go out on. We’ve not read the book but will definitely be buying it now. This was another play to feature Sam Vimes and fitting for their final act. Jes Hynes fantastically reprised his role of Vimes from Nightswatch.
Guards! Guards! follows a rather large dwarf, Carrot, played hilariously by Christopher Maxwell, who is sent by his adoptive parents to join Ankh-Morpork’s City Watch. He memorises every rule in the law book. It’s a shame the rest of the city haven’t. He makes his presence known by marching into the Thieves Guild and arresting their president. But a law-abiding Watchman is the least of Vimes’s problems when a Brotherhood steal a book – How to Summon Dragons – and use it to, well, summon a dragon. See, only the rightful king can defeat a dragon so in order for Ankh-Morpork to have a king, there needs to be a dragon. It’s all about destiny. That and a promotion to king’s aide for Lupine Wonse.
Vimes and the rest of the watch are in the Shades when a large dragon incinerates three people. The people’s charred silhouettes on the wall is bound to draw attention, though not as much as a freshly painted wall in the Shades would. But regardless of how dodgy some people are, a giant dragon turning them into ash is bad for morale. With the help of a swamp dragon, Errol, Vimes and his team are tasked with finding and stopping the dragon. That’s not easy when it’s summoned with magic and promptly disappears.
This was the first play that featured the Librarian – a wizard who was accidentally turned into an Orangutang and refuses to be changed back. We love the Librarian in the books so were thrilled he was in this. Lowri Belson was superb as the book-loving ape. She injected so much character and personality into a role where communication was done solely through facial expressions and “ook!” And the occasional “eek!”
The show was hilarious, with added things like Death playing with a fidget spinner, Brother Watchtower replacing his mask with a cat one and Errol flying across the stage on a wire to fight the dragon. What we love about Monstrous Productions plays is the cast always look like they’re thoroughly enjoying themselves. Sets and props used are always minimal and work so well. Everyone was superb in their roles and made this a fantastic play to end on.
We have loved watching the plays and even enjoyed being in one. We’re sad it’s over. So it’s best to sum it up with a quote from the great man: “It’s still magic, even if you know how it’s done.”
Cast:
Sam Vimes – Jes Hynes
Corporal Carrot – Christopher Maxwell
Nobby Nobbs – Josh Flynn
Sergeant Colon – Eamonn Corbett
Lupine Wonse – Josh Stevenson-Hoare
The Librarian – Lowri Belson
Lady Sybil Ramkin – Becca Smithers
Brother Watchtower – Asher Townsend
Brother Dunnykin – Matthew Hitchman
Brother Plasterer – Jamie Gibbs
Brother Doorkeeper – Loz Shanahan
Brother Fingers – Loz Dixon
Dibbler – Harry Spencer
Lord Vetinari – Michael Dickinson-Smith
Death – Matt Burnett
Carrot’s Dad – Pete Belson
First Guard – Matt Edwards
Second Guard – Tony Beard
Urdo Van Pew – Terrance Edwards
First Worthy – Ellen Warren
Second Worthy – Katya Moskvina
Chief Assassin – Gareth While
Archancellor – Steve Durbin
Voice at Door – John B. Dent
First Citizen – Paul Wooley
Second Citizen – Sarah Roberts
Zebbo Mooty – Nick Dunn
Warrior – Richard McReynolds
Bunting Carrier – Howard Dickins
Knowlessman – Bethan Lisles
Servant – Luke Belson
Voice in Crowd – Nelson Cotrim
Crowd – Sarah Burrow
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August 21, 2017
Categories: Uncategorized . Tags: Guards! Guards!, local theatre, Monstrous Productions, Terry Pratchett, The Gate Arts Centre . Author: clraven . Comments: Leave a comment