Wyrd Sisters - It's a Must see!

I am amazed that there hasn't already been a review on this brilliant production! It is in its final week at the Nexus Theatre, Murdoch University, starting at 8pm Wed-Sat.

Everyone that I have spoken to who has been think that this is a great show!
The set, costumes, lighting, and special effects are marvellous, and of course the acting is brilliant.

Arena Theatre is mainly a Theatre in School company, and has never attempted anything like this before.
They have selected a large cast of 18 Amateur Actors, from all over Perth, and have pulled off a most successful production.

All of the lead actors were totally in character the whole play, and the supporting cast were to be admired for their versatility in playing several different roles and changing character so completely every time.
Special mention should go to Emma Farrell who plays Magrat, and to Kingsley Judd (Fool) whose energetic performances had the audience in stitches.
Congratulations Simon, Francesca & Claire, a great job!

Couldn't have said it better myself...KINGSLEY ROCKS!!!!

I loved it, fast moving and has some very funny moments.

Altho, there is a couple of areas in which I had trouble hearing "some" of what was being said by Kate, "The Prologue", due, i think, to her rushing her lines.

And of course Francesca looked totally vogue in her elegant tights and bloomers....Judith Maitland was amazingly funny and Emma such a convincing blonde....

Congratulations to you all.

Teri Welch

Thank you to Teri and Christine for your wonderful reviews. It's really exciting to get such wonderful feedback. Now that the show's down and life's returning to normal (or what passes for normality round here) we've got time to grab a breath or two and realise what a fantastic show it was.

Of course, no production happens on its own and a show of this size takes a herculean effort to stage. Special thanks have to go to Christine Ellis, costumier extraordinaire, for making all the 36 or so costumes (and never losing her temper even once); Kylie Taylor for the mammoth task of designing and painting all the backdrops; Judith and Clare for helping sew the damn things together (above and beyond the call of duty); and Simon's Dad for making the Backdrop Machines and the dungeon door.

It wouldn't be unusual for a company of this size to have had some emotional conflict but there wasn't any; no hissy fits, no tantrums, nothing but professional conduct and huge amounts of fun. It's been a privilege to work with this bunch.

Thank you all.

Francesca Philips
Co-producer & Nanny Ogg

Just a quick note to join 'Nanny Ogg' in showing appreciation for the wonderful words we've received from audiences, who attended 'WYRD SISTERS' and to all those people who put it together.

But I do think you left someone out Francesca...YOU! Without your help 'WYRD SISTERS' would not have been how we all knew it. Whether making props, keeping us in high spirits or telling Judith where to exit (he! he! he!) you were there and I really appreciate it.

To those who did see the show and haven't written a review, please take the time to as I love hearing honest feedback. It makes me a better actor or I like to think it does!!

Take Care
until I see you next time in the fathomless deeps of space!

Magrat.

P.S. Thanks to Rob for fixing my dagger at the last minute!

Francesca Philips wrote:
-------------------------------
Thank you to Teri and Christine for your wonderful reviews. It's really exciting to get such wonderful feedback. Now that the show's down and life's returning to normal (or what passes for normality round here) we've got time to grab a breath or two and realise what a fantastic show it was.

Of course, no production happens on its own and a show of this size takes a herculean effort to stage. Special thanks have to go to Christine Ellis, costumier extraordinaire, for making all the 36 or so costumes (and never losing her temper even once); Kylie Taylor for the mammoth task of designing and painting all the backdrops; Judith and Clare for helping sew the damn things together (above and beyond the call of duty); and Simon's Dad for making the Backdrop Machines and the dungeon door.

It wouldn't be unusual for a company of this size to have had some emotional conflict but there wasn't any; no hissy fits, no tantrums, nothing but professional conduct and huge amounts of fun. It's been ....

I really enjoyed this play.

I saw the closing nights production.

The Nexus is a great little theatre, and it made for a very entertaining play. I particularly give praise to the acting talents of Magrat - superb and adorable, and the guy who played Will Shakespeare, although not having a large part in the play impressed me when he did - great talent there.

The cast coped well with some of the "lighting difficulties" that the crew seemed to be having. Whether they had got on the pop a few hours early, i don't know, and i felt for the prologue, who, at one point as she strolled on stage to announce "the nexy day" had to wait a good moment before the lights dawned on her, poor soul.

Apart from that, it looked as though you had all pooled together, especiaslly with the creation of the set.

Good on ya.

Will Shakespeare was there? Where? I don't remember seeing him wandering around backstage. I woulda stopped him and asked him for his autograph (be worth a fortune you know!).

I also want to thank Francesca (who we all know affectionately as "snookums"), all the other cast and crew members, and Simon for being such a wonderful bunch of people and making my life so much fuller!

Thanks....

And I loves yas all.

Nath

I am constantly amazed at the wealth of talent that exists in WA amateur theatre circles. That is even after taking into account the fact that some of the cast of this play have professional experience under their belts, as does the company.
There were numerous sparks of youthful brilliance in this show which will hopefully grow, develop and mature. There were also several suitably seasoned role models (if you'll pardon the expression) in there, so theatre in general was the overall winner.
Special congrats to Siobhan (Duchess) who portrayed a character well beyond her own tender years most convincingly. Well done all and let's see some more Pratchett on stage!.

Hello all..

I teched the first week of Wyrd Sisters at Nexux Theatre and after having seen the play six times, I am unable to recall Shakespeare either...perhaps you mean Vitoller?? Or Hwel?

Also I would like to say it was a pleasure to work with Simon and Clare and all the cast on Wyrd Sisters..well done guys! A somewhat busy show for techs but we all need challenges don't we!

Good luck to all the cast and crew in the future and special mention must go to the Duchess and The Fool..just fabulous.

Catexx

Hello all..

I teched the first week of Wyrd Sisters at Nexux Theatre and after having seen the play six times, I am unable to recall Shakespeare either...perhaps you mean Vitoller?? Or Hwel?

Also I would like to say it was a pleasure to work with Simon and Clare and all the cast on Wyrd Sisters..well done guys! A somewhat busy show for techs but we all need challenges don't we!

Good luck to all the cast and crew in the future and special mention must go to the Duchess and The Fool..just fabulous.

Catexx

Oh, i'm terribly sorry old chaps.

I thought that "Will", the guy who played the playwright in the play, was in fact meant to be Will Shakespeare, or at least a reference to the ledgend.
I mean, the guy was called Will, he was dresses like Will Shakespeare is often portrayed, he spoke in ye old posh english and he was playing a playwright - i mean it's terribly confusing if he was all that and NOT Will Shakespeare!.
Or...was that the joke?. In that case..terribly sorry. Who was he then?

Hwel... His name was Hwel.
And yes, that was the joke.

Yes, it was a very technically challenging show and suffered somewhat for lack of tech runs before opening night. That's what happens when you have to share a theatre with a bunch of uni students!
Seriously though, as a Theatre & Drama student at Murdoch, a member of the cast (ghost of King Verence) and an accomplished crawler myself, may I say thank you to Malcolm and the tech crew for the swift efficiency with which they sorted it all out. Hope you all get a good grade this semester!
Peter

A ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!
A ha ha ha ha ha ha!
a ha!....ha!....ha!.......ahem.

There u go then people. I had seen Will Shakespeare....i mean...Hwel Shakespeare.

Anyway - he was very good. Bravo.

Congratulations, Dean,

You are one of the few peope who actually figured out that Hwell was meant to be a takeoff of William Shakespeare! We considered several different costume ideas and then decided to dress him as Will! I didn't have a clue how to dress him until I saw a picture of the old boy, at the Marloo Theatre (on a poster), so decided to put him in brocade, and of course, Simon insisted on a frill! (no, not thrill!).

I think it very difficult in this play to pick out one particular performer from the others, because everyone, including small roles were so into character, and giving 100%
The three witches however, and the jester, were, for me the linchpins of the show!

Wyrd Sisters
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I liked the Jester and Magrat

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There was also the reference to Richard the 3rd Another of shakespear's

Well, just not saying anything else as I can't find anything else nice to say.

Call that a "review"?? Oh come now "J Watersworth", you can do better than that. If you're going to bother writing here, at least make it... interesting.
The cast and crew of W.S. aren't made of glass. We can take criticism. How can we get "better" if no one tells us what was "bad".
So, what was bad?? Or do you lack the courage to tell us...

Cheers
Nath

PS But please no foul language, as you may offend the more delicate readers.

Ha ha!

To everyone who replied to my posting, that they couldn't remember Will Shakespeare, SUCK on Christine's reply!!!

Sorry, had to say that.

See ya next time.

Ooooo, that's harsh.

Sorry, meant to write sooner but have been busy. I didn't think the show was bad. It's always very hard viewing someone else doing a show that you've previously been intimately involved in, but Arena's production of "Wyrd Sisters" had some very good points and some not-so-good points.

DEATH was spectacular! A lot of work had gone into creating the Grim Reaper for this production and - visually - he was very effective. The actor who has played DEATH in all five of Blak Yak's Pratchett shows was told, "Looks like you're out of a job!" Unfortunately, no one in the audience could understand a word this DEATH said. I saw the production on opening night, so maybe things improved during the run, but on opeing night the reverb, or echo, or whatever, completely mangled all of DEATH's dialogue. It was also a huge pity that, after all that work, DEATH did not make a reappearance during the rest of the play - there are plenty of scenes where he could have made a welcome cameo.

I don't know if it's just me, but I've always felt that it's hard to make "Wyrd Sisters" really satisfying because of the difficulty in adequately explaining the convoluted resolution. I'm sure that the majority of audience members view the "revelation" that the Fool is Tomjohn's brother (and therefore an alternative legitimate heir to the throne) as a huge contrivance (acceptable only because of the genre) if not a Deus Ex Machina. However, the clues are planted throughout the script - the trick is to emphasise them to the audience without telegraphing the denoument. One huge clue comes from DEATH himself in the opening moments of the play, but was lost on this occasion.

I thought the backdrop-changing-machinery was fantastic! Very clever! Someone told me they were noisy and slow, but I thought they changed smoothly during the scene changes, were covered by some pleasant, appropriate scene-change music, and allowed the audience to catch its breath.

As in any large cast, some performers stand out more than others. I was impressed with Robert Whitehead as the Duke. It is so easy to go over the top in this role (indeed, I saw a country production some years ago where the Duke simply screamed all his dialogue at the top of his lungs for the length of the play). Robert had a nice mix of subtle menace and crazed mania.

The three witches fitted their roles nicely, although it was a strain to follow the dialogue at times due to the funny accents they had been forced to adopt. Francesca Philips was a great Nanny Ogg throughout, and whenever the lovely Emma Farrell used her real voice for effect or emphasis, she instantly grabbed the audience's attention - I'm certainly looking forward to the next production she appears in! ;-)

Much of the rest of the cast seemed very young, and it's great to see young new people getting into theatre. The show had the feeling of a good, fun pantomime. Please correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't that Arena's forte' - pantomimes for schools? Good to see them opening up more to the public. Hope the audiences for the rest of the season were as good as they were on opening night.

JB

I know this is kind of late, but anyway. . .
The reverb on Death's voice did get better, we could understand him, anyway. . .
I don't think Death really could have fitted in anywhere else without making the show far too long (Simon was always saying it was too long anyway!).

As part of the cast of W.S. I have just one question:
Why does it matter that the Queen can't count? This is one of Nanny Ogg's lines concerning the fact that the fool might be royalty. But the queen is no relation to the fool, the question is whether his mother could count.

um, his "birth mother" WAS actually the queen, his father (a commoner) was the one who "scaled the walls" to visit the queen at the castle (a good climber or something i think are the words used to describe him). so when she couldn't count, i think it means she didn't know whether the king was the father or whether the "commoner" was the father...someone correct me if I'm wrong...kind of a matriachal lineage thing happening there.

Sharon

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Rach wrote:

As part of the cast of W.S. I have just one question:
Why does it matter that the Queen can't count? This is one of Nanny Ogg's lines concerning the fact that the fool might be royalty. But the queen is no relation to the fool, the question is whether his mother could count