Night Watch

With 22 actors playing 74 named parts plus a variety of un-named maids, rebels, citizens and partygoers between them, this play is no mean feat to put on. All credit to director Chris, her production team and band of actors for doing just that and for delivering a great production. Chris had worked with the cast to develop each of their many characters, ensuring that they all spoke clearly and distinguished between each role they portrayed. The actors worked very well together under her direction, interacting with and reacting to each other and bringing out the subtle humour within the script. Terry Pratchett’s Discworld is a complex place, but this team communicated the story extremely well. It was also lovely to see youth group members included in this play and they were really rose to the challenge of working on this complex play, holding their own with the adult actors.

The play had a truly amazing set, constructed in-house. In the main part of the play, there was a set of Tudor style cottages built in 3D and overhanging the street on both sides. These cottages were painted black and white with beams and bricks and back lit windows which were very effective. The cottages were on smooth running casters and rotated to create other parts of the set, and a larger acting space for the revolution. Above the set and to the front sides stage left and right were back lit frames full of coloured books which made up the university library. These were very effective and unexpected. 

This is the second Terry Pratchett play that I have reviewed at Progress Theatre and like The Hogfather, I was transported into Ankh Morpork and found myself beginning to understand a little bit more about this fantasy world.

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