We've previously seen Wyrd Sisters performed by Vision Arts at the end of last year and really enjoyed it so when they said they were putting on another Pratchett production we immediately purchased tickets.
So on Saturday night we headed west (about as far west as you can go in Wales without getting very wet) to Milford Haven in Pembrokeshire for their third and final performance of this run.
The Theatre itself is quite small with cabaret style seating (something like an Italian restaurant setting). The stage is to one side of the room with a bar to the opposite side. If you look up to the very high ceiling you realise that the theatre is a small part of a much larger space with the bar breaking the room into two (what lies beyond is a mystery to me).
The performance was based on Stephen Briggs' adaptation of Men at Arms and can sometimes feel a little confusing. Having Dotsie and Sadie as the footnotes / narrators is a good idea. I can't remember seeing Men at Arms live before and it seems to be a hard play to put on well.
I've never thought of Men at Arms being a book about Carrot but the play implies right from the beginning that the main hero is Carrot. I've always considered the watch books to be Vimes centric. I found some of the casting a little strange - I've never really thought of Sam Vimes looking and sounding like Jon Snow from Game of Thrones. I enjoyed Gethin Morris' portrayal of Captain Vimes but it did surprise me. I thought Dan Richards was great as Detritus, he was always a beat behind and the simple makeup and rocky bits added to his costume worked well. When he and Cuddy get locked in the pork futures freezer I liked how he suddenly speeds up his thinking and speech to good comic effect.
Elin Jenkins makes a good Angua and Adam Edgerly (co director of the performance) plays Lord Vetinari really well despite his young age. Just the right side of camp and benevolent.
The rest of the cast put in solid performances and the play moved on at a good pace helped by simple sets that didn't need too much rearranging. I've seen productions with elaborate sets that lose the audience due to long breaks between scenes and I've seen a stage with one chair on it allow for quick snappy changes that didn't allow the audience to drift and I feel that Vision managed to keep the audience occupied throughout.
I'll look out for other productions of Men at Arms to see how they compare. I am glad that Vision took on the challenge of Men at Arms instead of sticking with the arguably easier to perform Guards! Guards!
There is always something new to see in these productions and I very much enjoyed my evening out.