Wyrd Sisters
Terry Pratchett's Wyrd Sisters
Adapted for the stage by Stephen Briggs
Directed by Gill Daly
Original music by Paul Grimwood
Performed in April 2022 at The Edward Alleyn Theatre.
Cast and Creative
Cast in order of appearance
Roger Orr: Death, Vitoller, Gumridge (as the Duchess) & Audience
Tracy Brook: Guards (various) Actor, Tree & Revolting Peasant
Chloe Couper: Guards (various), Chamberlain, Player, Robber, Bedlin (as the Duke)
Judy Douglas: Guard, Soldier, Revolting Peasant, Robber, Actor
Clarisse Hassan: Guards (various), Tree
Adam Lowe: Bowman, Tomjon
Graham Gluck: Duke Felmet
Jenny Gammon: Duchess Felmet
John Hedley: King Verence (Alive & Dead)
Emily Lamm: Soldier, Guard, Robber, Wimsloe (as Death)
Louise Norman: Esmerelda ‘Granny’ Weatherwax
Maddy Jones: Gytha ‘Nanny’ Ogg
Kat Hartley-Booth: Magrat Garlick
Paul Sykes: Sergeant, Hwel
Carole Coyne: Mrs Vitoller, Revolting Peasant, Voice of Demon, Audience
Mark Kelleher: Fool
Alex Curran: Player Witches x 3
Production Crew
Director: Gill Daly
Stage Manager: Clarisse Hassan
Assisted by: Tracy Broom, Chloe Couper, Judy Douglas, Emily Lamm
Original Music by: Paul Grimwood
Costume: Judy Douglas
Production Manager: Lesley Hedley
Lighting: Yohann Philip
Sound: Ben Wood-Gluck
Hair & Make-up: Denise Biffin
Prompt: Alex Curran
Poster Design: Clarisse Hassan
Programme Layout: Emily Lamm
Photography: Joshua Bradley-Hall
Box Office: Eleanor Orr
Front of House - The Mended Drum is managed by Sophie Thompson & Severine Powell, assisted by various suspicious characters
Review by Lydia Dickie
Like Gill Daly, the director, my first exposure to Terry Pratchett was also through watching Good Omens which I thoroughly enjoyed ; Wyrd Sisters was the second and I was not disappointed. The play references the Scottish Play in a number of ways, a ghost , witches, murder and bloody hands, and then gives everything a little Pratchett twist.
The set was simple but atmospheric and I thought the candle lit corners were a very clever touch. The play began with a mime show accompanied by the haunting music composed by Paul Grimwood. It was spooky, dark and really helped to imagine the strange world of Ankh-Morpork.
The casting of the three Wyrd sisters was perfect and the actors captured their characters accurately. It was great to see Louise Norman flexing her comic muscles. Maddy Jones was the reincarnation of Nanny Ogg, pipe smoking and boot stomping witch. The third sister, Magrat Garlick, was played with great aplomb by Kat Hartley-Booth. I must give a shoutout to Alex Curran who managed to play a group of three witches all at once! A very funny cameo appearance.
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A glance through the program highlighted how many of the cast took on backstage work as well as treading the boards. It is to their credit that they moved swiftly and easily from Tree to Guard to Revolting Peasant to Soldier to Robber. The ensemble cast poured their enthusiasm into maintaining these different characters. In particular I loved the Trees, they had fluttering leaves and sad expressions and held their poses beautifully. Paul Sykes once again showed his ability to use accents and comic timing to great effect. Roger Orr not only excelled as a very sinister Death but also triumphed in the role of the “Duchess” in the play within a play. (Roger is no stranger to female impersonation - check out The Pied Piper production on our web site).
Paul Grimwood’s music helped to speed along the transition between the many scenes. His music did not overly intrude into the action. Costumes and make up were exceptional. Congratulations to Judy Douglas and Denise Biffen for creating the Terry Pratchett steam punk medieval look. John Hedley’s appearance as the Ghost was truly ethereal and eerie and very “majestical”.
The ‘villains’ of the play are the Duke and Duchess Felmet who were ably brought to life by Jenny Gammon and Graham Gluck. Jenny demonstrated a fine range of withering looks and utter frustration with more or less all of the other characters in the play. Graham managed a constant air of bewilderment and subservience to his manipulative wife. The Fool, played by Mark Kelleher, was suitably comic and had pathos but on occasions he had to compete with jangling bells on his marotte ( you will have to look it up!).
I watched the show on Friday night with a large and enthusiastic audience. It was an accomplished performance where special effects, music, sound and lighting were used very effectively. Yohann Philip and Ben Gluck - congratulations ! Both were first timers in the sound and lighting box and they did a great job.
The Play calls for a large cast, a demanding proposition for any director. Covid complications abounded and cast illness presented numerous challenges for Gill Daly. Gill herself caught Covid very inconveniently as the play was about to open. Through the magic of technology and the power of Zoom, Gill was still able to direct and observe performances! The cast and crew demonstrated a wonderful team spirit of which The Dulwich Players can be very proud. Well done everyone!
