THIS SHOW HAS CLOSED

TERRY PRATCHETT'S

Carpe Jugulum

DRAMATIS PERSONAE Agnes Nitt - Emma Moriaty Nanny Ogg - Lynne Foster Granny Weatherwax - Christine Davidson Perdita X - Laura Hunnikin Magrat Garlick - Ruth Cramphorn Reverend Mightily Oats - Ben Fraser Count de Magpyr - Dean Hempstead Countess de Magpyr - Rebecca Errington Vlad de Magpyr - Paul Macklin Lacrimosa de Magpyr - Kat Tokley Igor - Robin Winder Shawn Ogg Jason Ogg Death/Piotr - John Mabey Millie Chillum/Krimson - Anna Tilmouth King Verence Bestiality Carter Hans/Old Count - Mick Foster Servant/Scraps - Nicola Lister Demone/Mayor/Veyzen - Danny Segeth (Peasant Mob played by members of the cast and crew) Director ... Mark Preston Assistant Director ... Danny Segeth

REVIEW CHELMSFORD THEATRE WORKSHOP, CARPE JUGULUM, APRIL 19, 2007 Having never read a Terry Pratchett Discworld novel (or at least not all the way through, since I couldn’t relate to it at all) I suspect I was in the minority of audience members, many of whom seemed to know what was coming next and whose enjoyment may have been more conditional on adherence to the original text than on the production before us. For my part I enjoyed this play as a stand-alone, out of context, modern comedy, the theme of which seemed to be the triumph of good over evil. The use of an alternative world (Discworld) in which to pitch witches against vampires was an interesting excuse to update the dialogue to the modern idiom. This apparent incongruity between context and dialogue was the source of much of the comedy. By turning audience expectations upside down we found ourselves often times laughing at things which, in isolation, were not funny at all. But the consistency with which the characters portrayed their roles provided a solid framework for the play that hung together very well indeed. All of the main characters were very strong, diction was good, accents (Transylvanian?) where needed were excellent and pace and timing superb. The set was very convincing, consisting of castle walls, a rotating flat that doubled as witch’s cottage and castle wall, and a castellated turret. The action was extended into the auditorium at times and the use of the ancestral vampire paintings on the wall, together with clever use of lighting made the stage appear much bigger than it was. The vampires, especially the male characters, who had far more dialogue than the females, were suitably superior and aloof; the witches in contrast were down to earth and matey, particularly Nanny Ogg whose delivery was hugely endearing. Igor, the lisping family retainer, who preferred the old vampire ways and whose dog was made from and called Scraps, was hilarious. Granny Weatherwax provided drama and mystery while Reverend Mightily Oats and his holy book of Om represented the one link to the world we inhabit today. There were no weak links in this entertaining and thoroughly complete production, which included a very convincing soundtrack. If this play is true to the original novel perhaps I will give Terry Pratchett another try. Congratulations to all concerned. Reviewer – Stewart Adkins (NODA) NOTES The second CTW play to use YouTube for advertising purposes. The ad in question can be seen below;