Reviews

Whodunnit in a weird Pratchett world TERRY Pratchett’s Discworld novels unveil the comical antics of a fantasy world that rides through space on the back of a giant turtle. If you can’t suspend your disbelief that far, this play may not be for you. But the popular British author is renowned for his biting parodies. Adapted by Stephen Briggs, The Truth is based on the 25th book in the Discworld series and this time takes a poke at journalism. Sam Priestly is a solid leading man as William de Worde, editor of the Discworld’s first newspaper, who finds himself investigating… Read more

There is a quirky array of characters portrayed in Terry Pratchett’s plays based on his successful Discworld novels. Robin Tatlow-Lord is a dog, before that, she was an orang-utan, now as the narrator of Unseen Theatre’s latest play by the British fantasy writer, she is excellent, as she explains the story of the impending inauguration of a new dwarf Lower King and an insidious plot to overthrow him. The title of the play refers to a dwarf legend of a fifth elephant that fell off the shell of the Great A’Tuin, the giant space-faring turtle that supports four elephants which… Read more

Terry Pratchett is not everyone’s cup of tea, but I liken those who can’t stand the Pratchett works to those strange people of my yesteryear who hated the Goon Show. They were ridiculous nonsense but one needed to be highly intelligent to enjoy them. Pratchett has created a special fantasy world called the Discworld just to set his stories in and he’s populated it with a most unusual collection of characters. While the cast was too huge to rattle off, Pamela Munt (turning up a few times in the production crew credits as well) ably led a coven of witches… Read more

Change of town brings out new Discworlders BRITISH author Terry Pratchett often uses his Discworld series of novels to poke fun at well-known stories and institutions. In Lords and Ladies, William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream gets the royal flush when King Verence II of Lancre chooses to marry a young witch. As people flock to the midsummer night celebration, evil elves cast spells of their own to take over the Discworld. Unlike previous Pratchett plays performed by Unseen, which were set in Ankh Morpork, the action takes place in the town of Lancre, giving the company a broader range… Read more

Good work from Pratchett guardian UNSEEN Theatre Company was formed specifically to produce Terry Pratchett’s funny fantasy stories, and this one, adapted for the stage by Stephen Briggs, excels with a minimum of props and scenery. In the fictional land of Discworld, the Elucidated Brethren of Ebon Night steal a book of magic and terrorise the city of Ankh-Morpork by conjuring up a giant dragon. Fans of Pratchett will be delighted by director Pamela Munt’s simplistic creation of this fantastic world that rides upon the back of the great space-faring turtle called A’Tuin. Through lighting and sound effects and ample… Read more

Adelaide’s own theatre company, specialising in plays by Terry Pratchett present four short pieces by this British father of the fantastic. For the uninitiated, Pratchett’s Discworld novels are of the comedy/fantasy kind. They take place on an imaginary world that rides through space on the back of four giant elephants standing on an enormous space-faring turtle. It’s a world full of trolls, dwarfs, wizards, witches and other outlandish creatures; a world where the normal is abnormal. Company co-founder Pamela Munt has adapted all four stories for the stage, and directs three of them, with Melanie Munt directing one. A number… Read more

RATING: 3 STARS OUT OF 5 ‘Death’ takes a night off and suddenly two realities collide in Stephen Briggs’ adaptation of Terry Pratchett’s clever and amusing Mort. Directed by Erik Strauts, a small but determined cast has a ball with the quirky script and larger than life characters. Alistair Brown delivers a strong, pivotal Mort, recently appointed assistant to the big ‘D’ himself. He has nice comic timing and a natural style that acts as a catalyst to the overdrawn characters that surround him. A veritable ‘stranger in a strange land’. Bruce Alcorn, as Death, has a difficult job, acting… Read more

Fantasy comedy rides on giant turtle’s back “THERE is no justice. There is only me.” Such is the philosophy of Death, one of the central characters in Stephen Briggs’ stage adaptation of Terry Pratchett’s quirky Discworld novel, Mort. The Discworld series of novels revolves around a world which rides on the back of the great A’Tuin, a giant, space-faring turtle. The story of Mort sees the title character apprenticed to Death, but when Death take a holiday, the inexperienced Mort is left in charge of the soon-to-be-deceased causing no end of mayhem. With Erik Strauts as director, the Unseen Theatre… Read more