Wyrd Sisters – The Little Theatre, Birkenhead

An enjoyable and charming romp through an enchanted world where 3 powerful witches stand on a dark, lonely heath conjuring up a magical plan which will see them use their witchcraft and sorcery within the realms of fate, time and destiny.    

Evil Lord Felmet murders the King of Lancre and takes over the throne.  The 3 witches, Granny, Nanny and Magrat who have hidden the real heir to the throne must find a way of overthrowing Lord Felmet to make room for the true heir.  

Terry Pratchett’s 6th offering from the Discworld series is brought to life admirably by The Carlton Players. This fantastical tale pulls on a range of accessible references, mainly Shakespeare’s Macbeth and Hamlet. Adapted by Stephen Briggs and directed by Barry Prescott, this humorous production provides an excellent opportunity for actors to be playful and stretch their characterisation skills.  The Carlton Players do this well with some excellent interpretations and creative presentations of the many different characters with whom we meet.  Despite some actors playing for laughs, the fun and joy emitted from the actors on stage is absorbed by the audience who respond with plenty of their own belly laughs. This production serves its audience some lovely moments which bring a smile to the face, including the end of Act 1, with the witches whizzing around the stage on their broomsticks, cackling and squawking as their plans come into fruition.

With no less than twenty-three scene changes, the cast and stage crew are put through their paces with the demanding task of setting and striking each scene, which they successfully accomplished.  The short scenes lend well with the pace of the story telling, however I couldn’t help but feel slightly thrown out of the flow by the monotonous design of the transitions which were completed each time under lights down.  More use of the space, lighting and music could make the transitions more integral to the action.  The high quality and vibrancy of the costumes would have been enough in themselves in allowing the audience to imagine their environment without the need of props or changes in backdrops. I enjoyed the playfulness with the placards used to introduce each scene, this would have worked well as a concept in the overall scene changes, making a play on the characters/actor’s weariness of the many changes.  This also would have added to the self-awareness and reflective nature of Pratchett’s writing.    

Some minor technical issues concerning mics which caused some sound effects to potentially overpower the action, and the slightly distracting noisy heating fans within the auditorium, was eased by the consistent, excellent projection from all cast members. The Little Theatre is a wonderful, traditional proscenium arched theatre, perfect for Pratchett’s writing.      

Overall, this was an entertaining production. Ambitious and technical which, with some minor refinements, has potential to effectively deliver the eccentricities and wonders of Pratchett’s world.

You can catch Wyrd Sisters at The Little Theatre, Birkenhead from Tue 18th April 2023 – Sat 22nd April 2023, tickets available from https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/whats-on/birkenhead/the-little-theatre/wyrd-sisters/e-xaaqxo

Reviewer: Gill Lewis

Reviewed: 18th April 2023

North West End UK Rating: ★★★