Wyrd Sisters
This is one of the most remote festival venues but the No 42 bus stops outside, though don’t go expecting any cafes or eateries nearby. Also there is only the venue poster outside as the church doesn’t want any other posters, so it’s a bit disconcerting seeing no indication that the show is playing there.
The play Wyrd Sisters was written by Stephen Briggs and based (very closely) on the Terry Pratchett Discworld novel. This is one of the most loved Discword stories and the adaptation is well done, losing very little of the magic. The story starts with the murder of the King of Lancre (a remote mountain kingdom) by his cousin. The King’s baby son is taken by a faithful retainer by only manages to arrive at the local witches coven before the new King’s soldiers catch up. The baby is saved by the witches and hidden, the new King (and his wife) starts to assert his authority in a violent and destructive manner, which causes the witches to take a stand. They perform some magic, the baby King is now grown up and ready to fight for his throne. The only problem being that he has grown up thinking he was the son of a theatrical manager and the love of the stage is now flowing through his blue veins. Can he be persuaded by the witches that a kingdom is worth fighting for or will a different solution be needed? Only watching the play (or reading the book) will give you the answer.
The set is minimal but very effective for the scenes, the acting is good and the casting generally is excellent (especially the evil queen who is very scary). The only problem I had with the casting was that the King’s son Tomjon was supposed to look like the old King (who we meet as a ghost). The old King was in appearance like Brian Blessed whereas young Tomjon was more like a young Meera Syal (well, not really but you try and think of a universally known young Asian actress). The witches were also very well cast though I thought Granny Weatherwax needed some grey in her hair. The band were a three piece (harp, violin, oboe) playing background music in a medieval rustic style that set the action off very well.
So this is a very enjoyable play in a very remote location. The play runs for nearly two hours (90 minutes in programme) and I can’t help but feel an earlier start or intermission with coffee or more comfortable chairs would have been of benefit. Still, this is a good show to see even if you haven’t delved into the world of Terry Pratchett. Oh, and due to the late finish the 42 bus has stopped but if you turn right out of the church you’ll get to the main road (5 minutes) and later bus services.
Visit the Fringe Website for booking details.