Innovative ARENAarts have brought Stephen Briggs’ amusing, stage adaptation of Pratchett’s much-loved, fantasy book to the Latvian Centre Theatre, 60 Cleaver Terrace in Belmont – no you aren’t in the wrong street! Plenty of free parking.

This progressive group are looking for directors – if you are inexperienced, they will guide you – and ideas for some challenging plays for 2017-18 seasons, anything from farce to heavy drama. Suggestions so far include Jane Austen’s ‘Emma’, George A. Romeo’s ‘The Night of the Living Dead’, Roald Dahl’s ‘James and the Giant Peach’, Neil Simon’s ‘The Odd Couple’ (female version) and Anthony Burgess’ ‘A Clockwork Orange’.

This is ARENAart’s sixth, dastardly, Pratchett play and they have really conquered this genre, with each production getting better than the last. Great fun for the family.

The two-and-a-half hour performances are on Friday and Saturday nights at 8.00 until Saturday 5^th November, with Sunday matinées on the 23^rd 30^th October and 6^th November at 2.00 pm.

There are a couple of dozen scenes, varying from a castle battlement, several rooms, street scene, zoo etc., each represented with minimal – but very well presented – scenery and props (Set construction by Jim Chantry, adorned by scenic artists Kiri Vinsen, Sheila Wileman and Ashling Townsend, with the cast helping).

It was essential with so many scene changes that the stage team should be well focused and quick. Stage manager Janet Vinsen with her assistants Callum Vinsen and Sean Schliwa were magnificent. With an average of 5 – 8 seconds, the stage was transformed each time.

Josh Shoebridge and Simon Walters skilfully operated Simon James’ lighting and sound design. It was obvious that a great deal of thought and precision was put into the complex plan and operation.

     Young Footnote (Callum Vinsen), the narrator of the story, sets the scene, popping in now and again to clarify the action.

     One day, when 6 ft 3 inches (1.9 m) strong, fearless Carrot (Paul Davey) comes home from a day working in the mines, his 1 metre high father (Michael Moshos) takes him aside and explains to Carrot that he is not really a tall dwarf, but was found abandoned as a baby. Carrot, feeling the need to prove himself, goes to the big city of Ankh-Morpork to join the bold Guards.

   Guard Captain Vimes (Ron Arthurs) is drunk when Carrot arrives. Vimes has been letting things slip, and Carrot is a stickler for law and order.

   It is a miserable, wet night and Fingers (Sarah Langridge) is knocking on doors, trying to find where the underground gathering of the Unique and Supreme Lodge of the Elucidated Brethren of the Ebon Night is being held. Eventually Doorkeeper (Susie Stevenson) admits Fingers to the secret meeting, where the Supreme Grand Master, Lupine Wonse – boo hiss (Brendan Ellis) explains that all of the Dragons are not really dead, and that according to legend, one is due to become King of the area. Lupine hopes that the Dragon will select him as his regal representative on Earth. As the meeting progresses, the coven – Varneshi (Natalie Djudjevic), Dunnykin (Tia Evers) and Watchtower (Rachael Leech) – dressed in green, crushed velvet capes, receive a threatening visit from the Body of Death (Jeremy Smith).

     Colon, the guard (Jim Chantry) lets it slip, that nearby there is a sanctuary for injured dragons run by Lady Sybil Ramkin (Lis Hoffman) and her small team of helpers (Tashie Baker, Michael Vinsen). Lady Sybil has a favourite dragon, an old, wise one with damaged wings called Errol.

     The local Patrician, Lord Vetinari (Andrew Smalley) is a nasty conman, trying to trick the citizens with dire deeds, but bold Discworld carrier (Bronny Baker) and Ridcully (Sean Schliwa) are fighting back.

     Will the dragon return? Will the evil Lords of the city keep control? There are two love affairs in the air.

Director and multi-tasker, Simon James, has presented this play in the style of a pantomime, aimed at 9 yrs. and up. It is quite dark in places, and the script is rich with puns, double-entendres and subtle jokes. The kids will miss at least half of the humour, but will love the special effects, excellent costumes (Janet Vinsen and armourer Callum Vinsen) and dragons.

There was a large cast, who were impressive and worked together with great chemistry. The delivery of the lines, humour and build-up of tension were all presented most proficiently. The main actors were superb, but even the ‘bit’ players gave it their best.

With so many players on stage, there can easily be pandemonium, with actors bumping into each other and fighting for exits – this team moved well, truly professional.

Josh Shoebridge and Kiri Vinsen created the magnificent robotic performers, Errol and other dragons. They really were ‘alive’, practically stealing the scene from the living actors.

At the interval, I enjoyed one of the best cups of community theatre coffee, yes, it was $2, but I would rather pay than have some of the anaemic, free, flavourless offerings at some venues.

Even on a Wednesday night, the show had almost a full house. Not many shows left, but try to catch this slick, hilarious family show. Many congratulations.

DEAF and HARD OF HEARING  Wednesday 22nd June enjoy Terry Pratchett’s ‘Wyrd Sisters’ with AUSLAN SIGNING by Christy Filipich

It is Mediaeval England. There are several, very different scenes. The flats, which cover the full width of the stage, are built on castors so they can rotate. Some flats are like books with a few pages on each revolve. Owen Davis’s scenery was bright, quirky and superbly built. Between scenes, 4 or 5 stagehands could make the change in seconds; even when the crown room with a dais and two thrones was turned into the witches kitchen, with workbench, two armchairs and a table – 8 seconds! That must be one of the best-organised and speediest crews ever (stage manager David Bain, ASM Belinda Beatty, James Scott, Guy Jackson). The props were unusual and very demanding on the poor Lesley Sutton.
The lighting design (Mike Smale) was complex and well planned, picking out the actors as they moved around the stage. The two follow spots were operated by Emma Dee and Charlie Montgomery. The sound effects (Alice Carroll) were crisp and perfectly cued – a few zany effects brought belly laughs.
The costumes ranged from witch Ogg’s tat, to Lady Felmet’s gown, from the soldiers’ uniforms to the town’s peasants. A great deal of thought had been carefully sewn into every garment. Marjorie DeCaux at her very best.

        To the sound of thunder we meet the three witches, the Wyrd Sisters; they are the highly regarded and tough old bird, Granny Weatherwax (Fi Livings), mother of fifteen Nanny Ogg (Chantelle Pitt), and Magrat Garlick (Alisha Napier), an apprentice witch who believes in the old fashioned methods of magic involving covens and cauldrons. They are discussing the recent murder of King Verence (Rachel Vonk).
        The Wyrd Sisters see a peasant (Verity Lux) fleeing the evil Duke Felmet (Ryan Marano), who has the Lady Macbeth syndrome of constantly cleaning his hands. Now that Felmet has become King, his cruel, mercenary wife, Lady Felmet (Taneal Thompson) demands that the taxes are collected. The peasant has in her breadbasket a baby – the newly born prince, who is rightful heir to the throne. However, a bowman (Thomas Outred) shoots the peasant and the witches rescue the infant, Tomjon. They give him to a childless, loving couple of touring actors, Mr Vitoller (Ryan Marano) and Mrs Vitoller (Kathleen ‘Martha’ Nyland).
        Whilst in their kitchen, the witches are visited by a Demon (Bailey O’Hehir) who warns them of the troubles ahead.
         The witches realise that it will be at least 15 years before the prince will be able to rule, so with advanced magic, they travel forward in time.
Felmet sends the court Fool (Billy Darlington – delightful) to find the performers’ troupe, and Tomjon (Lochland Baynham) who is now a talented actor. The court jester sees Magrat being robbed by a conman (Aryan Menon) saves her and falls in love. Duke Felmet fears Tomjon will take his rightful place as King, so he orders a playwright Hwel (Suzy June Wakeling) to weaken the witches powers by writing a play that mocks them.
        The witches trick their way past the guards (Verity Bruce, Sabrina O’Brien) at the castle gate. The witches meet the ghost of the King who tells them how Felmet stabbed him. Felmet sends out his soldiers to capture the crones, but instead they encounter a set of actors dressed as witches (Rosemary Bruce, Sabrina O’Brien, Martha Nyland, Kira Pearce).
        Felmet’s Sergeant (Kayleigh Lux) catches the real witches, and his soldiers (Kira Pearce, Glenda Napier) throw them into prison.

Will the witches escape? What will happen to the Duke and Lady Felmet? Will Tomjon become King?

The script has numerous amusing links to Shakespeare’s plays, especially ‘Macbeth’.
I think this may be the first major production directed by Harrison MacLennan, who was ably assisted here by Guy Jackson. With a massive cast to handle and some actors as young as 12 yrs. (Bailey O’Hehir – a star in the making?), I was expecting the show to stagger through. However, EVERY member of the cast was superbly rehearsed and totally focused. There were no vacant faces when other actors were talking, and everyone acted with their bodies and faces. Good, solid and natural performances from this young team. The magnificent witches had some hilarious lines, delivered with perfect comedic timing.
The entrances and exits worked smoothly, even when a dozen actors were involved.
This is a complex script, and so was a major undertaking; but the direction is so clear and the performances so confident that children from 8 yrs. and up will enjoy the madness. Great fun.

The producers of the play, ARENAarts, have already brought us half a dozen wonderfully colourful and thrilling Pratchett stage plays over the past few years. This tongue-in-cheek story – ‘comedy theatre production of operatic proportions’ – is loosely based on the ‘Phantom of the Opera’ musical. Like most of Pratchett’s stage plays, the book was adapted for the stage by Stephen Briggs, and the director has further modified this (slightly).

As a child, Terry was desperate to be an astronomer, writing his first spooky, astral story for his school magazine in 1961, aged 13! His first children’s novel, written and illustrated by Terry, followed 10 years later when he was a journalist. He gave up an excellent job to become a full time author in 1987 and by 1996; he was the top selling author. Pratchett’s books are filled with suspense and humour. Writing 2 books a year, ‘Maskerade’ was the eighteenth of the forty novels in the Discworld series, and the fifth witches’ story.

Multi-award-winning Pratchett was second only to J. K. Rowling, selling 2.5 million books in the UK alone, and more than 85 million books worldwide, in 37 languages.

After being knighted, Pratchett thought it only correct that he should make his own sword – this he did from ore he dug himself, blended with meteor ore. He gained nine honorary degrees, but after suffering from Alzheimer’s for 7 years – not the stroke he was thought to have had – he died in March this year. Admired by Margaret Atwood and George R. R. Martin, only four years before his death, Pratchett had the third fastest selling adult hardback in history – dictated to a friend as he had lost his writing skills.

He gave a million dollars to the Alzheimer’s Foundation.

The two and a half hour fun performances – which cost only the price of a cinema ticket – are brought to life by ARENAarts each Thursday, Friday and Saturday night (Sunday matinees), curtain up at 8.00 pm in The Latvian Centre (LC Theatre), 60 Cleaver Terrace, Belmont – just off the Great Eastern Highway. Plenty of free parking. The season runs until Saturday 18^th June.

The stage has a 60 cms raised area at the rear, giving two very effective performance levels. The scenery was fairly simple (designer Simon James) but there were a great number of interesting props supplied by Linda Redman, who, along with Chris Ellis and Rachel McCann also provided the quality costumes.

The director employed several areas of the stage, moving the attention of the audience with his clever lighting design – operated by Gordon Johnson (no relation, this tech has class) – this kept the pace moving very well with the minimum stagehand interruptions. The stage manager was Linda Redman, efficiently aided by Janet and Callum Vinsen.

       The show opens with a powerful welcoming speech by a Teller (Callum Vinsen), who sets the scene.

      We join Granny Esme Weatherwax (Ursula Johnson), an obsessive and self-centred witch, sitting on the blasted heath. Seated next to her at the small fire, is her dizzy witch friend, Nanny Ogg (Julie Holmshaw).  They are searching for a third witch to join their coven and have in mind, Agnes X. Nitt (Joanne Williams), but she has ambitions to become a famous opera singer. Adopting the stage name of Perdita, Agnes goes to the local Ankh-Morpork Opera House owned by Mr Seldom Bucket (Michael Lamont) and asks for a part in the next show.

      The house manager, Salzella (Robert Whitehead) has already chosen an attractive lead singer, Christine (Emily Theseira) who is full of her own importance, but untalented as a vocalist. Musical director, Herr Undershaft (Johan Smit) decides to use Perdita voice to sing along to Christine’s movements. As the audition takes place, Pounder, the rat catcher (Penny Phillips) and Walter Plinge, the young janitor (Sarah Christiner) weave in and out of the three ballet stars, Giselle, Solange and Collette (Lily Bailup, Riti Smith and Rachel McCann) as they rehearse their routines.

       Walter’s Mum, Mrs Plinge (Christine Ellis) prepares the refreshment for the visiting world famous, Italian Tenor, Senior Enrico Basilica (Jim Chantry). Basilica cannot speak a word of English so relies upon his manager (Maria Passalacqua) to translate.

       Soon, random corpses start appearing; have they been murdered? Then the witches find that the Opera House is haunted, so decide to investigate the mysterious deaths. They come face to face with a threatening thief (Elizabeth Meath) and the production manager, André (Brendan Ellis) is acting strange. Could the murderer possibly be the innocent scenery painter, Mr Cripps (Donald Weaver) or stagehand, Amo (Ned Wolf)?

Director Simon James has been bringing joy to the Perth audiences for 30 years, winning many awards on the way for his directing, acting and set designs. This is Simon’s sixth Pratchett play, and he has regathered his regular team for this show. When you have a great cast, stick to them.

This troupe was superb, not a weak link anywhere, they had pace, empathy, good comedic delivery – even the ballet dancers brought a big smile with their subtle, fun movements. The script was like that of a pantomime, plenty of one-liners and written on two levels, one for the young audience (this show would suit 10 years and above) and the ‘mature’ double-entendre jokes for the parents.

With a larger cast, one often spots the daydreamers who are not too sure what is going on, here the cast were word perfect, attentive and moved beautifully.

Special mention should go to the two witches, Perdita and Christine who were magnificent; however, from Opera House owner down to the rat catcher and Walter, the cast were exceptional.

A very funny show, with plenty of dry humour and the odd reference to well-known phrases from the cinema. A reasonably priced, most professional, fun night out.