Pratchett fans delighted with this production
- 2 hours ago
- 2 min read
Terry Pratchett's Guards! Guards! Adapted by Stephen Briggs. Performed by Second Thoughts Drama Group at The Bear Pit Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon, Saturday 7 July 2026. Director Lynda Jepson.
Review by Charles Essex
A simple almost bare stage became the city of Ankh-Morpork, Terry Pratchett’s fictional city in his Discworld series of books. Guards! Guards! is just one of 41 novels in the series and the first to introduce the Night Watch. Book sales show that there is clearly a huge loyal following so no pressure (!) for director Lynda Jepson to bring this story to life and satisfy a full house, many of whom were clearly Pratchett aficionados.
Supreme Grand Master (Alexander Brown) brought to life an extinct dragon using a stolen book of spells. Alexander conveyed his growing frustration at the incompetence of his acolytes as they interrupted the flow of his plans with humorous interjections. Unfortunately, having conjured the dragon, it got beyond his control. Skilled lighting and sound effects by Dwayne Dawson and Andy Jepson, respectively, meant we saw and felt its terrifying effects.
The Patrician (Steve Dean) called on Captain Vimes (Adam Schumacher) and the Night Watch to protect the city. Adam was magnificent, bringing the production to life whenever he was on stage. He superbly portrayed Vimes’ initial drunkenness and work avoidance. Emerson Fairclough played new Night Watch recruit Constable Carrot with realistic innocence as an ingenue in the big city. Carrot, reading out loud his letters home, added humour as he described his naïve misunderstandings of social situations. A comical game of charades with an orangutan revealed the title of the book that had been stolen from the library to summon the dragon.
Vimes met Lady Ramkin (Stephanie Jepson-Sensicle), who ran a refuge for small dragons. Adam and Stephanie played out a touching will-they-won't-they sub plot as Vimes showed his heroic side, while cleverly manipulating Errol, a small dragon arm puppet.
Once the dragon, voiced by Tim Guest, took control of the city, Alexander depicted the Supreme Grand Master’s increasingly desperate attempts to placate the dragon whilst also trying to convince the city elders that human sacrifice was a small price to pay.
The issue with the large dragon resolved itself in the second act in an unforeseen way. There was a discussion, unexpected to this reviewer but perhaps not to Pratchett followers, between Vimes and the Patrician about the nature of good and evil.
The interval probably came at the best point in this story, but the first act was far too long and could have been trimmed in numerous places. Some of the actors did not project well and dialogue was sometimes difficult to hear, especially if there were sound effects such as the noise of the street market.
This reviewer had no prior knowledge of Terry Pratchett but Pratchetteers were clearly delighted with this production. A production of another Pratchett novel Hogfather will be at the Bear Pit 4-13 December. Judging by the reception of Guards! Guards! if it is done as well as this, it is likely to be a sell-out.
Discover more from The Bear Pit: https://www.thebearpit.org.uk/
Discover more from Second Thoughts: www.secondthoughts.org.uk
Comments