We visited the final performance of Night Watch by the Progress Theatre group in Reading on Saturday 15th February.
We've previously visited the Progress Theatre a few times and in the past the performances have been very good. So we had good expectations. I worked out that we had previously seen Night Watch performed before by Peculiar Productions in Cardiff. But it's not a play we have seen performed a lot.
Night Watch is very Sam Vimes-centric, and thus needs a very good actor to take on the role and the Progress Theatre group are blessed with having John Goodman (not the big American Actor) take on the role. He might not be quite as dynamic as the character in the novel but there is an underlying anger that sits just under the surface. John's complete rendition of the watchman's oath was superb and the rest of the audience obviously agreed by giving him a spontaneous round of applause at the end of the oath.
Sam Vimes needs his nemesis, and in Night Watch, this is Carcer played well by Isabel Smith. Smith doesn't quite get Carcer's nasty side right but does a very good maniacal laugh.
Lu-Tze, played by Andrew Huges Nind, acts as the footnotes / narrator. Bookending various parts of the play to provide suitable exposition of the story.
There are a large number of characters in Night Watch and it's quite an ambitious production to take on. Several of the cast take on multiple roles. Notably Damien Passmore as Ned Coates, an unmentionable, Joss Gappy and a bodyguard. This can cause a little bit of confusion seeing the same face in multiple roles.
Most of the cast were excellent though some of the actors were very young. Dotsie and Sadie were both played by teenagers.
Something that made me smile was watching Rachel (who is Welsh) recoil at Joseph O'Leary attempt at a Llamedoseon accent. Joseph is another actor that took on multiple roles as Dai Dickens, John Lawn and the older Lord Vetinari. Each was played differently and were very enjoyable.
I also have to say that Olly Swinyard did a smashing job as the rather naive young Sam Vimes. The chemistry between the two Sams was fun to watch. We've been friends with Olly for a few years now and know how excited they were to take on the role.
The stage setup was also very impressive. I loved how it was made up from modular building fronts. So with a quick twist a windowed house would move out of the way and we would be in the graveyard and another twist and we would be in the watchhouse. It also meant that scene changes were quick and never intruded on the performances. The whole production felt very polished and moved swiftly along. The production was split roughly in the middle with a nearly three hour run time. And I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it.
Chris Moran has once again directed a very good cast and produced a very enjoyable piece of theatre. I hope that she decides to bring more Discworld to the Progress Theatre and that we'll be in a position to drive the three hundred plus mile round trip to watch it!