Midland Players’ Men At Arms – 19 February 2025, University Drama Studio
Review by Peter Taranaski.
It’s a quiet sort of evening as we make our way to the University of Sheffield Drama Studio. The quietness of the evening is about to be punctured by the kind of raucous, off-beat, and surreal world that is Terry Pratchett’s (RIP) Discworld, as here the Midland Players present their production of “Men at Arms” (the 15th book in the Discworld series).
Discworld is as described. An actual flat planet balanced on the back of four elephants, themselves balanced on a giant turtle floating through space. The setting is unusual, but it’s the inhabitants and stories of it’s largest city, Ankh-Morpork, that make it something special. Pratchett’s books are usually themed around different groups of individuals with a sharp satirical storyline that mirrors and comments on something we know from everyday life; it might be an Imp with Rock and fame, Wizardry and football, Trolls and fundamentalism, and sometimes the tribulations of Death itself. Cultural references are abound and here we have the second book that lays it’s sights on the City Watch, a fictional police force that has the unenviable task of trying to keep some manner of law and order among its many people and factions. These include groups such as The Fools’ Guild (clowns who taking clowning seriously), The Thieves Guild, Nobles, The Assassins’ Guild (legal murder by contact) and many, many others all existing alongside each other like a kind of wacky, tangy, Monty Python stew.
In brief, this story concerns an assassin who plots to restore the monarchy of Ankh-Morpork away from the benevolent dictatorship of it’s Patrician, Lord Vetinari. Meanwhile the Captain of the City Watch is about to get married, and the Watch itself has taken on a number of “diversity hires” with the intake of a Dwarf, a troll, and a mysterious woman (where simply being female in the Watch alone is probably the most outlandish idea). A series of murders occurs and the Watch moves to investigate. The play talks about cogs, and there are a few spinning here in this adaptation. Whilst this is no Arthur Miller play, its no mean feat trying to get Pratchett’s layered plots to hang together in a different format, but the Midland Players manage it.
The director (Tony Kennick), assistant (Elliott Dale-Hughes), and Production Staff (Samantha J H Oldham, Catherine Newsome, Deborah Hewitt) have thankfully not sought the path of least resistance either. A universe can be imagined where this is book is put on as a series of humorous vignettes instead of a fully fledged story or played a bit straighter where the wackiness is dialled down (aka like television’s “The Watch”). Thankfully the original tight-rope of the book’s tone has been left wonderfully intact. Everything has it’s own kind of logic, even it it’s shrouded by crazy shenanigans. There are many good performances in this show, we mention some of them here.
It treads this thin line in a number of ways: narration, characters and costume. By leaning into it’s “Anthropomorphic Personifications” (narrators), listed as Footnote #1 (Flic Powell), Footnote #2 (Alison Brelsford), and Death (Lara Bundock), it effectively fills the background information and laughs in a meta-voice the same way as Pratchett’s voice in the books. This keeps the audience on track really well. Powell has the largest role here; she appears as an explosion of colour in a paint factory both in appearance and energy. Her wit and means of shaking things up are excellent, Brelsford is classy in her time on stage, and Bundock does a good job of showing the personification of death and his attempts to humanise. With such an assortment of personalities throughout, it is great that the narration works to keep newcomers up to speed; they are the beautiful, sparkly gaffer tape that reinforces the core story.
Returning to Death, the attention to detail in design was there. His blue eyes, glowing scythe and droll demeanour are all in place. Kudos to costumes (Ruth Jepson) and production design. For a work so dependent on it’s fantasy elements, the costumes were both aesthetically pleasing and functional at the same time. Detritus, the troll (Heather Sawrey) in their body suit was both a great comic foil and quick-thinking problem solver (their brains work faster in cold places, something I can sympathise with), and Lance-Constable Cuddy, the dwarf (San Graham-Levers) was brilliant as an out-of-sorts sensitive and meek type. The costumes range from clown suits to more elaborate guard-wear and layers of dwarven armour. There are brilliant comedic turns by Brother Boffo (Helen Davison) and Bjorn Hammerhock, a dwarf tradesmen (Rach Howard), and the for the brief scene in which we see the gargoyle (John Alesbrook). Alongside the costumes, we were impressed by the quality of the props too (Chris Binns, Sue Jamison-Powell, Alison Munroe). A central element of the play, the gun (labelled ‘Gonne’) looked antique and in place, and Corporal Carrot’s sword is exceedingly shiny (complete with choral wonder when it is unsheathed). The coolest prop of all has got to be the cuddly wolf, whose addition is so in place for the light-hearted nature of this world that it’s an absolute joy to see it when it appears.
Theme-wise, the story is well-timed. When written it was undoubtedly a parody of people’s reactions to “equal opportunities”. While a light nudge at the time, it seems an even more serious message in the current climate with there being a full-on demonisation of “DEI hires” in the US (schemes to employ more individuals identified as minority into work roles). In terms of great scenes and characters that hit the spot there are a good number of these. The scene where there is exasperation about the minority hire is brilliant, and Sergeant Colon (Paul Kelly) the slightly gruff, lazy but streetwise character is well-realised here and throughout the play. Captain Vimes (Elliot Dale-Hughes) is excellent as a man stepping into a life outside of the Watch and into one of the nobility (and then having more than two baths in his life). Dale-Hughes has an exasperated, serious and beaten-down demeanour, which is a delight at every moment. Christoper Paul’s “Corporal Carrot” is a leading light in character and the scenes he is in (especially when deducing the killer and blackmailing Lord Vetinari [Samantha Oldham]). Another good turn is for Corporal Nobby (Hal Grayson) who is especially strong as the “barely human”, cigarette-smoking, disinterested, “honest about the big things” character whose deadpan, funny moments really resonated with the audience. Lance-Constable Angua (Anna Thornton) gets some good scenes with Corporal Carrot too. Captain Vimes has a great moment when in the bath and talking to the fabulous Willikins (Stuart Dunlop), butler to the matter-of-factly Lady Sybil Ramkin (Corrie Houton). All the scenes of people dying and meeting Death are as dry and fun as you are hoping; Lord Vetinari, Megan Robert’s “Dr Cruces” (head of the Assassins’ Guild), and Elaine Perkins’ Dr Whiteface (Guild Head of the Fools’ Guild) are menacing and calculating in their variously villainous ways too.
Finally, credit should be given to the scene transitions. The actors all kept a positive, funny energy through the changeovers with their knowing looks and shakes of the head; the spirit of reading Pratchett’s work is alive and well and never really diminishes throughout the run time.
“Men At Arms” is a joyful romp that more than lives up to Pratchett fans’ expectations. There is a kind of genius in that it maintains the warmth, anarchy, and intrigue of the original plot whilst being accessible to newcomers too by joyfully riding on the comedy (which always hits and doesn’t fall flat). Sprinkled with some choice Pratchett witticisms along the way (especially the now infamous Vimes Boots Poverty Index), spirited performances and good stage directions; seeing “Men at Arms” is a great way to throw some fun into what might otherwise be a mundane evening.