Balancing broad comedy with social commentary, Ooook! Productions’ annual Pratchett play, Monstrous Regiment, proves that his satire remains as relevant as ever. While the production embraces absurdity and eccentric characters that have come to be associated with Discworld, it never takes away from the story’s central discussion of identity, gender, and the institutions that seek to define it.
The play follows Polly Perks as she disguises herself to enlist in the army to search for her missing brother. We soon discover that she is far from the only recruit hiding their true identity, and, like all of Pratchett’s stories, the journey is full of chaos, misdirection, and humour. River Blatch’s direction succeeded in bringing Pratchett’s imagination to stage, something that is difficult to do effectively.
Mireya Morenas’ performance as Polly was undeniably impressive. She embraced the complexities of a role that demands a lot from a performer. Portraying a woman masquerading as a man while maintaining character cohesion is difficult, but she executed it with ease. She drove the plot well, demonstrating real emotional range. Her comedic timing, particularly in the shaving scenes opposite Jack Taylor-Torney as Lieutenant Blouse, was a true highlight of the performance.
Tom Pizii, Sergeant Jackrum, was equally as compelling. With well placed pauses and carefully calculated movements, it was almost as if he was accustomed to the battlefield. He demonstrated true care for his regiment, which made it all the more impactful when he got his happy ending, which the audience was rooting for.
River Blatch’s direction suceeded in bringing Pratchett’s imagination to stage
The production’s use of puppetry was also well-executed. Designed by Julia Sillanpaa, the puppets fit into the group seamlessly. Igor and Carborundum, brought to life by J Gould-Reddy and Rhiannon Morgan, were an instant hit with the audience. They made the production feel fantastical in a way that could otherwise have not been achieved. Morgan’s attention to detail in bringing Carborundum to life was particularly well-received.
The sound design, by Katie Madsen, was exceptional. The ambient sound helped differentiate scenes and the use of microphones to support characters was ingenious. Microphones really helped cement that Carborundum was a troll, and later they were used seamlessly to depict the religious possession of Wazzer, handled brilliantly by Megan Power. However, due to the Assembly Room’s acoustics, lines were sometimes lost behind the background sound and occasionally there were technical difficulties with the microphones.
Sam Garratt convincingly portrayed a Transylvanian vampire descending into madness from coffee withdrawals. They played with the sporadic physicality of Maladict well, fully committing to the madness in a striking scene, featuring a trombone, where they threw themselves around the stage. Garratt’s accent was excellent and their character portrayal felt truly lived-in, something that is also a testament to Blatch’s direction. The trombone was a great choice, although it sometimes interfered with the lines of other cast-members, making them hard to hear.
Lieutenant Blouse was easily a crowd favourite and Taylor-Torney toyed well with the line between caricature and realism. His stiff physicality and vocality as well as timing were all exceptional. The understated and slightly bumbling nature of his character made him endearing, heightening the comedy when he appeared on stage in a dress. Taylor-Torney truly inahbited the character and managed to bring comedy to even the smallest actions.
The rest of the cast deserve mention as well. Isla Brennan (Shufti), Rufus Brierley (Tonker), and Eloise Robinson (Lofty) were all strong performances that brought both comedy and emotional variation to the regiment. They provided a good contrast to the antics of Maladict with Tonker and Lofty’s relationship being wonderfully wholesome and well depicted by the actors.
Iphis Critchlow and Beau Singleton demonstrated impressive duality, playing multiple characters believably throughout the production. Luke Limon and Belle Ng functioned as a good double act, although some of their scenes were lost behind projection issues.
One of the strongest aspects of the production was its ensemble dynamic
In fact, one of the strongest aspects of the production was its ensemble dynamic. The regiment’s journey was driven by a cast that embraced both the larger-than-life comedy as well as the genuine humanity at the heart of the story. Having such a cohesive cast, especially with the use of puppets, is certainly impressive.The whole company managed well with the dual identities of their characters. Everyone brought something different to the group, yet they still remained a unified ensemble.
What begins as an absurd story of disguises gradually becomes a critique of institutions seeking to dictate who people should be. The cast navigated this balance well, ensuring that the story’s more serious ideas emerged naturally from the comedy.
The lighting was also an incredibly strong part of the production. Designed by Alex Richardson, the use of colour to accent scenes was a great choice and often garnered laughs from the audience on its own. The lighting played a huge role in bringing this production to life as well as maintaining the fantastical element.
It would be remiss of me not to mention Benedict Slade’s set design, that, although minimalistic, functioned well in setting the scene, making it feel almost as if the audience were watching a fairytale. The moving parts were impressive, although they did sometimes slow down already lengthy scene transitions.
The decision to have a small marching band on stage was a clever one to help with this. The band was slick and well-directed by Amelia Awan, who also composed the short piece they played. It helped to fill a gap that was inevitable due to the chaotic nature of Pratchett’s story that takes place in so many different settings. After a while it did become repetitive, but the juxtaposing presence of a well-rehearsed band playing in-amongst the chaos was not lost on the audience.
Overall, the production was a strong one. Its exploration of identity and gender was poignant, and the production embraced these themes without losing Pratchett’s humour. Although the story did sometimes become slightly obscured, it was easy enough to follow and incredibly entertaining. The lighting, sound, set and performances worked together to produce a great Halloween evening.
‘Monstrous Regiment’ was performed at the Assembly Rooms Theatre from 29th October to the 31st October by Ooook! Productions
Image: Ooook! Productions via Instagram