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Players make their debut
From the Swindon Advertiser, first published Friday 4th Aug 2000.
Mort: Trowbridge Players, Arc Theatre, Trowbridge.
Blue Oyster Cult's Don't Fear the Reaper opens Trowbridge Players' adaptation of Terry Pratchett's Mort, but despite the anarchic Discworld humour, the gaunt figure of Death, as played by James Shadwell, remains quite a guy.
Sitting unsmiling at his desk, with huge gothic perspectives opening behind him in a clever set, he resembles the sort of headmaster you'd prefer not to mess with.
Our sympathies are right behind our hero, his clueless apprentice, Mortimer or `Mort for Short' (played by Andrew Greaves).
The mistakes he makes as he learns the tricks of the scythe are intriguing, particularly when he takes pity on the imperious Princess Keli (Emily Rutter), who is about to be assassinated, thus changing the course of history as laid down in the volumes in Death's library.
Anyone familiar with Discworld shaped flat like a pizza, but no anchovies can see its potential for stage adaptation.
Here, Stephen Briggs' version of the novel Mort makes full use of the strong visual appeal of the mythical and fictional characters who have been given the unique Pratchett twist.
Much of the witty dialogue, too, is transposed straight from the original.
This was Trowbridge Players' first production at the Arc, and its only problems were due to slowness of pace and a rather uneven spread of talent among the players.
Phil Cooper deserves all credit for an excellent choice of play and for managing a large and mostly young cast in his debut production.
But the potential punch of the story was partially lost by some hesitant and rather lack-lustre performances, which was a pity.
The intimate and adaptable venue of the Arc Theatre requires an altogether more urgent, energetic acting style those used to a school hall and an old-fashioned proscenium arch, please note!
By Sue Le Blond
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