Wyrd Sisters

WYRD SISTERS is the sixth novel in the Terry Pratchett Discworld series and adapted into this play by Stephen Briggs.    Its about witches, spells, magic and these witches don’t pay tax.     A king has died (or been murdered) and his wicked cousin takes his place.    As well as murders, there’s romance and a bit of the supernatural.    The ‘Wyrd Sisters’ of the title are the witches who find an abandoned baby and to protect him, and an unseen future, place him with a pair of thespians and what follows is an evening of comedy, pyrotechnics, intrigue, witty repartee and some very odd characters and situations.

The sets were very good and there was great attention to detail.  The interior of the castle was realistically presented; stone walls, thrones in a nice grey and red combination.    A drop-down sheet for the Moorside was good.   Other scenes included the interior of the witches’ cottage which was given a homely feel with gingham table-cloth.  There was also a theatre complete with red velvet curtains and pillars.   These sets were assembled and disassembled as necessary by crew and cast without fuss.      The props were excellent including a bubbling cauldron, torture tools, stage dagger, crossbow, candle and the Iron Maiden was impressive.  

The costumes were excellent.  The witches were individually dressed to suit their personalities.    The Duke and Duchess were dressed according to their status and there were various costumes for the thespians.     The Fool’s bright yellow and red costume was striking and adored with bells.    The Demon was perfectly kitted out for his brief but memorable appearance.    The Ghost of King Verence wafted across the stage in a ghostly beige/white sort of ensemble. 

The lighting was good and an excellent green light emanated from the bubbling cauldron which was a brilliant special effect as was the effect of the earthquake and the echoing voice of the disappearing Demon.    Pyrotechnics were used throughout the show and this surprised the audience and added to the overall spectacle. 

Wyrd Sisters, by its nature, is full of weird characters and some brought proper smiles and good laughs.    There were some very strong performances, notably from Rob Bailey as Hwel, Jim Whately as Mr Vitoller, Ian Llewellyn as the Duke and Holly Flanders as the Duchess.     The Jester clad Fool, played by Michael Andrews completely embraced his character and was full of personality and joy.    However, he had serious moments and these contrasted well with the lighter tone.    

Making her debut as Director with ODS, Abigail Parsons, did well to assemble this talented and enthusiastic cast who tackled the complicated and convoluted script with panache.    The production involved an enormous amount of juggling with logistics and technicalities and bar one or two minor hiccups, the evening went off successfully and was enjoyed by the loyal and appreciative audience.   Congratulations to all!

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