Wyrd Sisters

Tudor Players have a well-earned reputation for first-class performances and this production of Wyrd Sisters was top-notch. Based upon Shakespeare’s Macbeth we have witches, the wicked duke and his lady, a ghost, court jester (fool), soldiers and strolling players. Complete with dark woods, cauldron, sound effects and lots of well- known dialogue from the famous play.

John Moran’s direction was phenomenal, and it all ran very smoothly from the opening to the final curtain. John’s creativity ensured that all the characters imitated those of the Shakespeare’s play, and with the right amount of humour. With a minimalistic set and back projection, the numerous scene changes were choreographed to perfection and moved by the cast and backstage crew. It was like watching a dance routine, all accompanied by music written especially for Wyrd Sisters by the late Rod Duncan, an accomplished musician and member of Tudor Players. 

The acting quality from the cast was superb and a lot of attention had clearly gone into ensuring that the actors perfectly owned their characters. The dialogue was slick and delivered with clarity in various accents to suit their characters, as did their costumes, hairstyles and make-up.

The three witches’ aim in life was to save their kingdom from ruin by the evil Duke and Lady Felmet who had murdered the true ruler, King Verence. They also wanted to kill the   King’s son, but the witches had other ideas and gave him to a group of strolling players to care for. They would bring him up as their own child, naming him Tomjon, and he would be a best friend for Hwel.

The young and dizzy witch, Magrat Garlick, was played by Charlie Gascoyne-Thompson and Fran Rooker was the determined ringleader Granny Weatherwax. The eldest and wisest of them all, the pipe-smoking Nanny Ogg, was played by Edwina Gascoyne. These three actors immersed themselves in their characters and gave incredible and strong performances throughout.

The evil Duke Felmet (Ross Bannister) was constantly trying to wash the blood of the King off his hands, and by the end of the play his hands were red-raw and his body twitching - after all, he was losing his mind. Ross’s mannerisms were perfect and skilfully played. Lady Felmet was really the one in charge of the realm and Siobhan Hible portrayed her to perfection, from sitting regally on the throne to floating around the scenes – we loved the outfit. As with all royal courts, we needed a “Fool” and with skilful acting Justin Harrison performed this role perfectly. With red and yellow outfits and a sock with bells on he did not over-do the foolery, but as history as shown, these Fools were very clever people.

You’d expect a Shakespearean King to have a very demanding and powerful voice and Josh Cooper as the Ghost of King Verence didn’t disappoint. His delivery of the dialogue was very impressive.

Through the witches’ spells and magic, we are taken 15 years into the future when the young boy (King Verence’s son) has grown up, without realising that he was not just a strolling player but a King. Rob Jex-MacDonald gave a great performance and so did Joe Gascoyne-Thompson as Hwel - with a great Welsh accent.

To complete this amazing story there were many cameo roles with the actors flitting with ease from one character to another: Chamberlain & Robber 2 (Joanne Ringrose);  Sergeant (John Fereday); Vitoller (Peter Kirkup); Mrs Vitoller (Judith Wade); Demon (Megan Roberts); Peasant (Andrea Howard) and Robber1(Rhiannon Smith-Jones).

The Company also played the various Guards, Soldiers, Villagers and Strolling Players.

It was wonderful to see a full house and a performance by an excellent drama group -   all the hard work and many hours of rehearsals have paid off handsomely. It’s clear that Terry Pratchett’s writing has a large following.

Thank you for the invitation to watch a truly very professional production. As always, the applause and cheering at the end said it all.

Sue Cox – NODA Drama Rep

NE Region 14

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