Drama weekend - Mort

Terry Pratchett's discworld novels have been best-sellers since they first began appearing in the 1980s. They combine witty writing with a distinctly offbeat take on many of the classic themes of the fairy story and the historical. Pratchett's fourth novel, Mort, takes on Death itself (or rather, himself); the "Grim Reaper" shows us his, erm, human side as he seeks some rest from his incessant labours by recruiting an apprentice. Sadly, Mort, said apprentice, is rather too human, and is swayed by a pretty face into sparing a life which is due to end by an assassin's knife, thus unleashing a chain of events which send reality into something of a spin.

Full of great one-liners, the novel, adapted for the stage by Stephen Briggs, tells the story in a fast-moving series of scenes. There were solid performances from all of the cast, notably Siddarth Lall as Death, Sayam Khanna as Mort, Sahil Jain as Tutwell, a wizard, and Catherine Chivers as Princess Keli. The staging, llighting and sound effects added to the sense of mystery and doom, and over the two nights' performances, the Parker Hall audiences thoroughly enjoyed their journey to Discworld. Of course, jokes about snakes biting Cleopatra on the bum will always get a laugh from Woodstock students.

Thanks to the backstage crew and the staff advisors who worked so hard, together with the actors, on this production.