The Midland Players have once again returned to the dizzying world of Discworld with their newest Terry Pratchett adaptation, Monstrous Regiment. Written by the man himself and adapted by his working partner Steven Briggs, this play takes us to Borogravia, where Polly Perks has disguised herself as a man to join the army – only to find out that the rest of her cohort has secrets of their own. As last year’s Assistant Director of Men At Arms, Elliot Dale-Hughes, takes on the mantle of Director, assisted by Hal Grayson, the Midland Players show that new hands mean no less heart: Monstrous Regiment was both meaningful and full of Pratchett’s signature wit.
While I was disappointed to not see Dale-Hughes reprise his role as Captain Sam Vimes, his skills were put to use elsewhere in a well-directed production. The staging was excellent, and the show felt dynamic and well put-together. The characters seemed considered, and I especially enjoyed the scenes with the Monstrous Regiment themselves: a very endearing group, they seemed genuinely to enjoy each other’s company and worked incredibly well as a whole. However, some scenes, especially towards the beginning, did feel a little low-energy and dragged as a result of this. With a 3+ hour runtime, I would have appreciated the exposition to be a little pacier and perhaps Dale-Hughes and Grayson could have worked on the delivery and characterisation of the smaller roles a little more. These slower scenes were thankfully saved by some monumental performances. Alex Wilson and Josh Cooper as Jackrum and Blouse complemented each other’s characters incredibly effectively, and Megan Roberts did a great job of capturing Polly’s emotional range, as well as effortlessly changing her physicality between Polly and her disguise, Private Oliver Perks. The rest of the Regiment also put on great performances, with the highlights being Telyn Herbert as the awkward, endearing Igor, and Samantha Oldham as a sort-of Joan of Arc of Discworld. Oldham’s performance was incredibly strong, as Wazzer transformed from a quiet member of the Regiment in the first act, to a powerful and moving character.
While the show was very enjoyable, some of the technical elements could have had slightly more attention. The lighting felt a little messy, and especially towards the beginning, was not particularly interesting, and I felt it could have done much more to communicate the setting and mood of the scenes. When other lights were introduced about 40 minutes in, this immediately picked up, and I did like the way in which the spotlights were utilised to draw our attention to particular areas of scenes. Furthermore the sound design felt slightly unprepared: ambient soundscapes played a little bit too loud, and some poorly timed sound effects did take me out of the action a little. However, these criticisms could not be levied at the set or costume departments. The set (created by Dale-Hughes and Phil George) was simple but very effective, with the ever-present portrait of the Duchess (painted by Hlene Davison) reminding both us and the characters of her ever-watchful presence (as Wazzer would be pleased about). Dale-Hughes working as both Set Designer and Director was evidently a good choice, as the actors were well blocked within the space. Ruth Jepson, Paul Kelly and Heather Sawrey sourced some amazing costumes as well. William De-Worde’s coat was stunning, and the mismatched jackets of the Regiment effectively conveyed the haphazard nature of their endeavour. All the costumes looked well-made and convincing, which greatly helped to elevate the atmosphere of the performance. Judging by the crediting of Chris Binns as Milliner, the many hats worn throughout the production were bespoke: this was a great addition, as they all looked amazing (especially Froc’s flower-adorned one).
This show was an entertaining and heartfelt night out, capturing the queerness at the heart of the book and the engaging chemistry of the central characters. While more focus could have been given to the light and sound departments, as well as some of the smaller characters, it was still a great night and another tick in the books for the Midland Players’ host of Pratchett performances!
Rating: ★★★⯪☆
