Wossname – November 2019 – main issue
News and reviews about the works of Sir Terry Pratchett
wossname at pearwood.info
Sat Nov 30 18:33:33 AEDT 2019
Wossname
Newsletter of the Klatchian Foreign Legion
November 2019 (Volume 22, Issue 11, Post 1)
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WOSSNAME is a free publication offering news, reviews, and all the other
stuff-that-fits pertaining to the works of Sir Terry Pratchett.
Originally founded by the late, great Joe Schaumburger for members of
the worldwide Klatchian Foreign Legion and its affiliates, including the
North American Discworld Society and other continental groups, Wossname
is now for Discworld and Pratchett fans everywhere in Roundworld.
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Editor in Chief: Annie Mac
News Editor: Vera P
Newshounds: Mogg, Sir J of Croydon Below, the Shadow, Mss C, Alison not
Aliss
Staff Writers: Asti, Pitt the Elder, Evil Steven Dread, Mrs Wynn-Jones
Staff Technomancer: Jason Parlevliet
Book Reviews: Annie Mac, Drusilla D'Afanguin, Your Name Here
Puzzle Editor: Tiff (still out there somewhere)
Bard in Residence: Weird Alice Lancrevic
Emergency Staff: Steven D'Aprano, Jason Parlevliet
World Membership Director: Steven D'Aprano (in his copious spare time)
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INDEX:
01) QUOTES OF THE MONTH
02) AN IMPORTANT WOSSNAME ANNOUNCEMENT
03) ODDS AND SODS
04) MORE GOOD OMENS BITS AND BOBS
05) DISCWORLD PLAYS NEWS
06) DISCWORLD MEETING GROUPS NEWS
07) AROUND THE BLOGOSPHERE
08) IMAGES OF THE MONTH
09) CLOSE
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01) QUOTES OF THE MONTH
"I am pleased to see that this week the 2020 Discworld Calendar has been
at #1 in the Science Fiction & Fantasy Amazon Chart. The Imaginarium is
also at #30 two years after publication."
– Paul Kidby, delighted to learn that his Discworld art is still a
bestseller
"I needed extra material for them, ’cause there just wasn’t enough in
the book. I felt, well, why don’t I essentially take the beats of a love
story and see how that works? And I was very fortunate in having Michael
and David understand that and let it happen… Particularly the way that
Michael plays Aziraphale just as a being of pure love, I think that gave
us something very special, because people of every and any sexual
orientation and any and every gender looked at Crowley and Aziraphale
and saw themselves in it, or saw a love story that they responded to,
and that was completely unexpected. Things like this, you can’t
manufacture, they have to happen from a fandom."
– Neil Gaiman, reacting to the fans' reaction to that 6,000-year love story
"There's a delicious ironic pleasure to be had to come to understand
that, even while you are enjoying watching a comedic play, ostensibly
about criminal activities, you are the ones creating this rich vein of
society that's being mined and re-presented for our entertainment.
Darkness and laughter mix intoxicatingly well."
– reviewer Christine Pyman, applauding Unseen Theatre's understanding of
The Author's work in their current stage production of Going Postal
"We asked our prestigious panel to create a list of world-changing
novels that would provocative, spark debate and inspire curiosity. It
took months of enthusiastic debate and they have not disappointed. There
are neglected masterpieces, irresistible romps as well as much-loved
classics. It is a more diverse list than any I have seen before,
recognising the extent to which the English language novel is an art
form embraced way beyond British shores. Best of all, it is just the
start of a year of documentaries, author profiles, podcasts and outreach
events all designed to do one thing and inspire everyone, whoever they
are, to read more novels because of the proven life-enhancing benefits
it brings."
– BBC Arts director Jonty Claypole, on the Discworld series' inclusion
on a list of life-changing novels
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02) AN IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT
Wossname has been going for many, many years, since its beginnings as an
American-based mailout created by old-school fan and retired SF editor
Joe Schaumburger, through a long presence on Yahoogroups as well as in
email form, to the current email and mirror blog version... and while I
hope Wossname can continue for years yet, it's getting more and more
difficult to get each issue out to you, O Readers, in its email form.
This is due to major internet providers including Yahoo, Google and
Hotmail trying ever more vigorously to protect its users from spam. That
in itself is a good thing, but unfortunately it means that we at
Wossname -- and an ever-growing number of other mailing list posters --
are being falsely identified as spammers simply because we send out a
large number of identical posts every month and those posts are loaded
with links to follow... all innocent links on our part, of course, but
the software that tries to identify spammers has no way of knowing this.
Nor does it help that, apparently, many people who subscribe to mailing
lists and then change their minds are in the habit of ticking the
junk/spam box instead of following the simply and plainly visible
Unsubscribe link... sigh.
Our administrator has tried various ways of getting around this, with
mixed success. If this current issue gets knocked back as supposed spam,
we may be forced to release furure issues of Wossname *solely* on the
web at its Dreamwidth blog address.
I hope you'll bear with us. And remember, you can always come here to
the blog version if you want to follow those links...
And now, on with the show!
– Annie Mac, Editor
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03) ODDS AND SODS
3.0 DISCWORLD NOVELS "SHAPED OUR WORLD"
The BBC compendium of 100 novels that shaped our world includes the
Discworld series, and it's in good company. The series is listed in the
category of "Life, Death & Other Worlds", which includes Frankenstein,
The Chronicles of Narnia, Dune, and Neil Gaiman's Sandman series, among
others, chosen by a panel including Radio 4 Front Row presenter and
Times Literary Supplement editor Stig Abell, broadcaster Mariella
Frostrup, authors Juno Dawson, Kit de Waal and Alexander McCall Smith,
and Bradford Festival Literary Director Syima Aslam:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/494P41NCbVYHlY319VwGbxp/explore-the-list-of-100-novels-that-shaped-our-world
...more on this from Katie Mansfield for The Bookseller:
"The list also launches a year-long festival in partnership with
libraries and reading groups around the UK. Led by Libraries Connected
and supported by Arts Council England, special events at libraries
around the country include workshops, walking tours, film screenings and
live performances, with many libraries commissioning artists to make
work that reaches out to everyone in the community, from people living
with dementia to those at risk of knife crime. Mark Freeman, president,
Libraries Connected said: 'This amazing campaign lies at the heart of
libraries’ mission to deliver innovative and engaging reading
experiences to communities who need it most..."
https://www.thebookseller.com/news/novels-shaped-our-world-bbc-reveals-100-strong-list-1109401
3.1 THE MERCH CORNER
Hogswatch is a-comin'...
* The Ankh-Morpork Archives are here!
...er, *is* here? At any rate, The Ankh-Morpork Archives, Volume I
is/are now available for purchase! "The Ankh-Morpork Archives, Volume I,
a fully illustrated comprehensive guide to the exuberant capital city of
Terry Pratchett's Discworld, getting to the heart of Ankh-Morpork's
secrets, societies and guilds. The book is a compilation of the texts
written by Terry Pratchett and Stephen Briggs for the Unseen University,
Assassins Guild, Post Office and Thieves Guild diaries. They have been
redesigned and formatted into one deluxe digitally re-mastered
compendium to showcase the illustrations in large size and the diary
element has been removed."
Published by Gollancz and rather beautiful, hand-signed hardcover copies
are available from Paul Kidby's website, priced at £30 each (UK only
free delivery). For more information, and to order, go to:
https://shop.paulkidby.com/the-ankh-morpork-archives-volume-i/
* The Discworld Destinations Calendar!
Already promoted in an earlier issue, but as 2020 approaches... "The
calendar dates are extensive, and exhaustively researched, and include
all major real-time calendrical data for Great Britain, Eire, Australia,
New Zealand, Canada and the USA, as well as notable Discworld dates.
This year's calendar draws upon the whimsical, remarkable art of
long-time Discworld collaborator, Paul Kidby - the man whose depictions
Terry Pratchett himself described as being 'the closest anyone's got to
how I see the characters'."
Published by Gollancz , hand-signed calendars are available from Paul
Kidby's website, priced at ££18.50 each (UK only free delivery). For
more information, and to order, go to:
https://shop.paulkidby.com/terry-pratchetts-discworld-destinations-collectors-edition-2020-calendar/
* Terry Pratchett: HisWorld, the Official Exhibition Companion!
"The entire exhibition... in a book! Whether you were there or wanted to
be, this coffee-table tome provides the story behind the exhibits on
show, so you can enjoy the exhibition from the comfort of your own
armchair! From his knighthood to his Blue Peter badge, the HisWorld
Companion provides a poignant a glimpse into the life and work of our
favourite author, Sir Terry Pratchett, with a lovingly curated
collection of his life’s possessions and associated ephemera with
full-colour photographs and a treasure-trove of anecdotes and
contributions from his closest companions and collaborators including
Rhianna Pratchett, Paul Kidby, the Josh Kirby Estate, Stephen Briggs,
Colin Smythe and our very own Cunning Artificer Bernard Pearson. Created
with the Terry Pratchett Estate, HisWorld presents an incredible insight
into the man behind the keyboard, with precious and never-before-seen
objects that tell the tale of Sir Terry’s life from his beginnings as a
young writer and journalist, to his adventures writing Discworld and his
eventual battle with PCA. This impressive book captures the exhibition
experience in print, so you can treasure the magic of Hisworld forever –
it’s never over as long as there’s a book!"
Published by Dunmanifestin Ltd, the Terry Pratchett: HisWorld Companion
measures 230 x 275mm, with a thickness of 26mm. 223 pages, and is priced
at £30 each. Currently out of stock, but if you visit the webpage you
can request an email notice to be sent when more copies will be available:
https://www.discworldemporium.com/books/597-terry-pratchett-hisworld-the-official-exhibition-companion
* The Discworld Flora and Fauna tea towel!
Just the thing for your post-Hogswatch dinner washing-up... "Illustrated
exclusively for the Discworld Emporium by Vladimir Stankovic in his
wonderfully dark story-book style, this fantastic tea towel is a tribute
to some of the 'wilder' creations from the mind of Terry Pratchett – the
extraordinary flora and fauna that makes Discworld world just a little
bit more, well, Discworld! Thaumicolour printed 100% cotton tea towel,
Measures 78 x 48cm."
The Discworld Flora and Fauna tea towel is priced at £9.95 each. For
more information, and to order, go to:
https://www.discworldemporium.com/homeware/192-flora-fauna-of-discworld-tea-towel
* The Death and Friends Discworld Journal!
When "what comes after" is written by you... "Record your antics,
adventures and observations in a book fit for Death's library! In the
very first Discworld Journal we look at life, the universe and fine
Klatchian curries through the eye-sockets of Sir Terry Pratchett's most
enduring anthropomorphic personification, Death, aided and abetted by a
host of his constant companions including Susan Sto Helit, Mort, Albert,
and the Death of Rats. In a move away from previous years' diaries, gone
are the restrictions of time and space in favour of a free-form notebook
format, giving more room for your musings! With space aplenty to pen
your immortal prose or (perhaps more aptly) write your life story,
you'll be aided and abetted by Death's wit, wisdom and observations
along the way. So, cower brief mortals, and always look on the bright
side of death."
The Death and Friends Discworld Journal is beautifully illustrated by
David Wyatt and priced at £16.99 each. For more information, and to
order, go to:
https://www.discworldemporium.com/diaries-calendars/550-death-and-friends-a-discworld-journal
* The Imaginarium of Professor Pratchett!
Something for your wall... "An exclusive collectors print featuring Paul
Kidby’s iconic 2018 portrait of Terry Pratchett, as seen on the book
jacket of Terry Pratchett HisWorld, the Official Exhibition Companion.
Each print is hand signed and numbered and the edition is limited to
2000 copies worldwide. Printed on 350gm silk paper. Dimensions 490 x
350mm. Prints are despatched rolled in acid free tissue in a postal tube."
The Imaginarium of Professor Pratchett is priced at £40 (free postage
and packing for UK buyers). For more information, and to order, go to:
https://shop.paulkidby.com/the-imaginarium-of-professor-pratchett-ii/
* The Discworld Imaginarium limited special edition!
"Featuring the very best of Paul Kidby’s Discworld illustrations, this
definitive volume includes 40 pieces of never before seen art, including
preliminary drawings, 30 pieces that have only appeared in foreign
editions, limited editions and Book Club editions and 17 book cover
illustrations, since 2004, shown without cover text. This Deluxe Special
Edition is exclusive to only Paulkidby.com & Discworld.com. The Special
Edition is leather bound and features an alternative silver embossed
cover design presented in a cloth covered clam-shell box. The book has a
signature page with a new piece of artwork produced especially for this
edition and an exclusive print is presented separately for framing. All
copies are numbered, and signed by Paul Kidby."
The Discworld Imaginarium special edition is limited to 1,250 copies,
each priced at £107 (including UK delivery). For more information, and
to order, go to:
https://shop.paulkidby.com/terry-pratchetts-discworld-imaginarium-deluxe-special-limited-edition-of-1-250/
3.2 A LOOK AHEAD: DISCWORLD AND BEYOND EXHIBITION IN 2020
Paul Kidby's Discworld & Beyond touring exhibition will be at the next
July and August!
When: 4th July–22nd August 2020
Venue: Hereford Museum & Art Gallery, Broad Street, Hereford, HR4 9AU
Times: Tuesdays through Fridays 10am–4pm, Saturdays 10am–12.30pm,
Sundays and Mondays closed
Tickets: free entry
We'll pass along more information closer to the date.
https://www.herefordshire.gov.uk/info/200172/museums/648/hereford_museums_and_art_gallery/2
And here be a heads-up for museums and galleries: "We are currently
taking bookings for this ever popular exhibition from Galleries &
Museums around the UK for 2019 and onwards. For details please contact
Emma Mackinnon, Exhibitions and Collections Officer."
St Barbe Museum and Art Gallery, New Street, Lymington, Hants SO41 9BH
(phone 01590 676969)
www.stbarbe-museum.org.uk
3.3 PAUL KIDBY NEWS
Some highlights from Mr Kidby's regular newsletters:
"I have been pressing ahead with my new Discworld illustrated book
project and coming up with ideas for the accompanying ephemera. The
planning stage is often the most creative and exciting with a plethora
of concepts jostling to become reality. It is fun working with my team
of fellow imagineers, bouncing notions off each other often leads to
outcomes that would never otherwise materialise. We have a lot of laughs
while brainstorming and our plans get wilder and more impractical before
we have to rein them back in and make it all ‘feasible to fit in an
envelope’... I have also been ‘perfecting’ Nobby’s handwriting... We
continue to oversee the production of the Celestial Edition of Good
Omens; this week the cast book corners are being finished in London. The
cabinet makers are constructing the presentation boxes which are a work
of art in their own right and bring together a fitting union between the
enduring crafts of illustration, fine book binding, metalwork and
joinery. It is a responsibility to be overseeing this special project
and very exciting to see it taking shape."
"It’s been a wet and dreary month and I have spent much of it coughing
and sneezing over my artwork. Despite this, I am making steady progress
on my new series of illustrations. My plan is to get the full set
designed and drawn before I commence colouring in the new year. Here is
a detail of an illustration I am calling ‘The Thin Brown Line’ showing
the Night Watch on the streets of Ankh Morpork."
3.4 ORANGUTAN NEWS: LIBRARIANS ARE PEOPLE!
"A 33-year-old orangutan granted legal personhood by a judge in
Argentina is settling into her new surroundings at the Center for Great
Apes in central Florida. Patti Ragan, director of the center in
Wauchula, Florida, says Sandra is 'very sweet and inquisitive” and
adjusting to her new home. She was born in Germany and spent 25 years at
the Buenos Aires Zoo before arriving in Florida on Nov. 5... Judge Elena
Liberatori’s landmark ruling in 2015 declared that Sandra is legally not
an animal, but a non-human person, thus entitled to some legal rights
enjoyed by people, and better living conditions. 'With that ruling I
wanted to tell society something new, that animals are sentient beings
and that the first right they have is our obligation to respect them,'
she told The Associated Press..."
https://www.snopes.com/ap/2019/11/07/orangutan-granted-human-status-settles-into-new-florida-home/
3.5 ROUNDWORLD'S MENDED DRUM SERVES GREAT CHIPS, APPARENTLY
It's not often one finds a Discworld-related restaurant review, but here
it is...
By Helen Mead for the York Press:
"The first thing I would say about The Mended Drum is that it’s wise to
book in advance... The L-shaped dining room in this country pub in the
village of Huby north of York, isn’t spacious, but has a welcoming,
rustic feel, with beams, wooden panelling, exposed brickwork, shelves
displaying vintage crockery and various prints including pictures by LS
Lowry. On the next table sat a family with young children, tucking into
healthy portions of fish and chips, and burgers. The youngsters had been
crayoning, using a pot of crayons and colouring sheets provided by the
pub – a nice touch. It was nice to see them proudly showing off their
pictures... Staff are friendly and it is obviously a community pub
well-used by locals, with many people popping in and out of the bar, in
an adjacent room with an open fire. It’s an intriguing name for a pub:
we were told that it was born from a run-down former pub The Star, which
closed and was rescued from possible demolition to become The Mended
Drum. It opened eight years ago. There is a sister pub, The Artful
Dodger, on Micklegate. The name Mended Drum comes from the Terry
Pratchett Discworld novels – in the series, a pub called The Broken Drum
fell on hard times and was then burned to the ground. It reopened as The
Mended Drum... 'The Drum' as it is known locally, has clearly hit the
mark and is a popular spot..."
https://www.yorkpress.co.uk/eatingout/18006062.eating-best-chips-ever-mended-drum-huby/
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04) MORE GOOD OMENS BITS AND BOBS
Remember, Good Omens is now available to purchase in both DVD and
Blu-ray editions! – Ed.
4.1 BLU-RAY REVIEW
A long, thorough review by Joe Corey for Inside Pulse:
"If you’ve followed the writer Neil Gaiman’s Twitter feed over the last
few years, you’ve been staring over his shoulder while he committed to
the Herculean task of adapting Good Omens to the screen... The
production has a high level cast including Miranda Richardson, Jon Hamm,
Frances McDormand and Jack Whitehall. Michael McKean will astonish those
who only know him from Laverne and Shirley. He is Witchfinder Sargent
Shadwell who gets tangled up in the spiritual mystery while doing his
job. McKean imbues the character with an accent that makes him sound
like a former member of The Fall that was fired by Mark E. Smith in
1987. This might be the greatest performance as an Englishman by an
American actor... Good Omens is one of the finest miniseries ever
adapted from a novel. It’d be easy to put it up with Douglas Adams’
Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Universe. But this production is so
magnificent that it rates up their with the finest of British television
such as I, Claudius and Brideshead Revisted. Neil Gaiman could have just
signed away his film rights to Hollywood for a fat paycheck. But he
wanted to create a production that would make the late Terry Pratchett
proud. Good Omens is delivers on all the humor from the novel and
fulfills the promise of seeing the end of the world on the screen...
"Page to Screen (6:24) has Neil Gaiman speak about adapting his and Sir
Terry Pratchett’s novel. Sheen speaks of getting into Neil’s work with
the Sandman comic books. Adria Arjona speaks of being nervous since she
wasn’t auditioning for the producer, but the creator of the character.
Neil speaks of the hugeness of the project. Jon Hamm talks about how
people wanted to be part of this world. Aziraphale’s World (4:44) has
Michael Sheen explain his angel character who enjoys the human life.
Bookshop Tour (5:24) lets Neil Gaiman point out the details of the
space. I get the idea that Neil wants to take this home with him (if he
hasn’t already). He points out Terry Prachett’s hat and scarf. Crowley’s
World (4:11) reminds us that Crowley’s name was Crawley when we first
meet the demon. David Tennant talks of the trouble making qualities of
his character and his forbidden friendship with Aziraphale. He points
out that the two don’t want to see the end of the world because they
like being a part of humanity including the music of Queen. Audio
commentaries for all 6 episodes has Neil Gaiman, director Douglas
Mackinnon and other cast and crew talk about the production. Neil points
out the opening of Good Omens explaining the set up was a tip of the hat
to Douglas Adams’ The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy..."
https://insidepulse.com/2019/11/05/blu-ray-review-good-omens/
4.2 ANALYSING THE GOOD OMENS DELIVERYMAN
By Neela Debnath for The Express:
"Many fans of Good Omens have been speculating on Reddit about the
character of the International Express Delivery Man. One user called
Redxmirage posted: 'Didn’t he deliver something in the Middle East? I
don’t get his character. It seems like he was supposed to be some divine
character.' While user TLema responded: 'Literally just some guy who is
very dedicated to his delivery job.' A third user called kizzyjenks
reasoned: 'In the book it was never really specified if he was in any
way supernatural. The God voiceover refers to him as 'the summoner'
which is still pretty vague...'... But others surmised the character was
left ambiguous by the authors, leaving it up to interpretation. The
character never displays any supernatural powers, hinting he could be a
mere mortal. So, it looks like the character could just be a man very
dedicated to his job or is perhaps already dead..."
https://www.express.co.uk/showbiz/tv-radio/1197667/Good-Omens-International-Express-delivery-man-Simon-Merrells
4.3 NEIL GAIMAN'S REACTION TO THE FANS' EMBRACING OF "AZIROWLEY"
By Morgan Jeffery in the Radio Times:
"Neil Gaiman was expecting a big reaction to the TV adaptation of his
and Terry Pratchett’s novel… but the 'ferocity' of the response to one
aspect of the show took him completely by surprise. Speaking to
RadioTimes.com, Gaiman explained that while he had 'enormous fun'
writing the dynamic between David Tennant’s demon Crowley and Michael
Sheen’s angel Aziraphale, the strength of the fan reaction to the
pairing was more than he could have hoped for... The show has inspired
a fervent fandom, with aficionados producing fan art and fiction and
attending conventions dressed as their favourite Good Omens characters.
'David Tennant said something which I thought was rather wonderful when
I was asking him about it – he said at DragonCon this year, for the very
first time, he had more demons turn up to pose for photographs with him
than Time Lords!' Gaiman recalled. 'I’ve seen photographs posted on
Twitter from people in Moscow, from the Ukraine, from Japan, from China
– which is really amazing because we aren’t legitimately shown in China!
From Italy… not to mention America and England and Brazil and
Argentina… all these places where people are dressing up as the
characters and writing letters about how magical and how important the
characters were to them… so it was incredibly unexpected...'..."
https://www.radiotimes.com/news/tv/2019-10-24/good-omens-crowley-aziraphale-romance/
4.4 DELETED SCENES IN THE GOOD OMENS SCRIPT BOOK SPECIAL EDITIONS
If you bought one of the "special edition" copies of the Quite Nice and
Fairly Accurate Good Omens Script Book and discovered that your
exclusive deleted scene isn't the same deleted scene as the exclusive
deleted scene in someone else's special edition copy of the Quite Nice
and Fairly Accurate Good Omens Script Book, despair not! Internet user
Jess has got hold of all the different versions and painstakingly typed
them out, turned them into an online document, and made it available to
all and sundry. Many thanks, Jess!
There are five different deleted scenes, all well worth a read:
1: In Which Aziraphale Opens His Bookshop (pg 3)
2: In Which Aziraphale Meets the Neighbours (pg 8)
3: In Which Crowley Gets Drunk with Leonardo da Vinci (pg 12)
4: In Which Aziraphale Searches for a Body (pg 13)
5: In Which Crowley Goes Clothes Shopping (pg 17)
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1diJukGVVYlWJSnJ_Mq5dKjtC2DjHNU5ND8n3gR3-BRQ/mobilebasic
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05) DISCWORLD PLAYS NEWS
Editor's note: as Wossname normally only comes out once every month, do
check the Wossname blog for information on plays that might fall between
issue dates! Go to https://wossname.dreamwidth.org/ for interim updates.
5.1 DISCWORLD PLAYS
There are no upcoming Discworld plays to promote at the moment! Please,
Roundworld, we need more and more Discworld on the stage. Make this happen!
5.2 REVIEWS
* GOING POSTAL IN EMERALD, FOURECKS
In which a small amateur dramatics company in a small town in the rather
small Dandenong mountains shows the world how to properly stage a
Pratchett play
By Annie Mac
There was no snow in Australia's Dandenong Ranges last month, but
neither rain nor unseasonal cold nor glom of nit could dampen the Gemco
Players' glorious production of Going Postal. I have rarely seen a finer
example of what the power of love – in this case, love of Terry
Pratchett's original novel and Stephen Briggs' clever, sensitive
adaptation of it – can do to transform a small stage area into multiple
locations in another world. Led by a family team of director Evie
Housham and set designer/sound-and-lighting director/music co-composer
Ross Housham, the cast and crew gave their all to the presentation...
and their all was plenty indeed.
From the moment we entered the Community Arts Centre, the atmosphere
was perfect. A large display in the foyer featuring a golden "postman of
the gods" statue, complete with wing'ed hat and wing'ed footwear (and a
tasteful loincloth to cover the, um, other wing'ed wossname) and
standing on a pile of letters, greeted the sold-out crowd; free Ask Me
About Pins badges and free sherry were on offer in the bar area; and in
the theatre proper, a stunning "clacks tower" winked on and off at speed
as its operator tried to keep up with the imagined flow of messages
while soothing, rather otherworldly original music played over the PA
system. A flawless build-up overall, and once the play began things
went from strength to strength. The play consisted of two acts,
comprising an astonishing total of twenty-eight scenes – just take a
moment to imagine the complexity of staging that number of
disparate/discrete scene on a smallish stage!
Jackson Cowan as Moist von Lipwig was quite simply perfect! He nearly
outshone the rest of the cast, and not only by virtue of his golden
suit. Trevor Mills' Lord Vetinari could have stepped right out of the
novels themselves. Tina Chalmers gave us an Adora Belle Dearheart at
least as impressive as Claire Foy's professional turn in the Going
Postal Sky two-parter; similarly, Ben Zagami's magnificently amoral
Reacher Gilt put David Suchet's telly performance well and truly in the
shade. John Piggott as Junior Postman Groat and Luke Slade as Stanley
never missed a beat, using comedic voicings and world-class gymnastic
pratfalls to create a peerless double act, while Lachy Castricum as Mr
Pump brought an extra dimension of fun to the proceedings by playing his
role in a Schwarzenegger-Terminator voice so spot-on that Arnold himself
could have been inside the costume. And the rest of the cast did so well
that they all deserve a mention: Sonia Morison as Sacharissa Cripslock;
Dionyy Penketh as Drumknott; Carmela Pezzimenti as Igor (and also doing
an excellent job as Stage Manager);
Mandy Segal as Miss Maccalariat et al; Sarah Fernee as Mr Gryle,
"Princess", Sane Alex et al; Tim Stapleton as Postman Aggy, Big Dave of
Dave's Pins, Ridcully et al; Maxine Neville as Mr Slant, Mr Pony et al;
and Cat Tregallis as Christine Horsefry, Mad Al et al. Even sponsor Bill
Pell put in an appearance as Devious Collabone in the cleverly built
Omniscope.
The set design was nothing short of a triumph. Giant envelopes bearing
addresses from all over the Disc hung here and there above the stage
itself, which in turn was piled with "dead letters" and even had
envelopes painted onto the proscenium. The Houshams and their team gave
us a credible rendering of the Tanty, the Patrician's office, Dave's Pin
Emporium, the Foie Heureux and numerous other places, as well as
managing to create the impression of various levels of the Post Office
from the BS Johnson Sorting Machine in the cellar to the Smoking Gnu's
bijou clacks tower on the roof. The costumes by Sonia Morison, Connie
Mifsud, Evie Housham and the whole cast were, again, perfect (special
mention to Evie Housham for creating the exceptional Golem costume,
which served via careful scene changes and a few decorations as
Anghammarad the Ancient Post Golem). Special mentions also go to
lighting operator and music co-composer Cailey Sheppard and to make-up
artist Aimee Achten.
There was almost nothing I could find to criticise in this beautiful
production. My only quibble was with the Grand Trunk board members – a
lack of available male actors meant that the entire Board was composed
of women, and while for the most part that worked well, the casting of
Tregallis as "Christine" Horsefry (the original character being Crispin)
was somewhat lacklustre, though the fault lay not in acting or direction
but in the simple truth that Horsefry was a blundering buffoon, and as
our cultures don't seem to accept women as buffoons, so Tregallis played
the role as a nervous scaredy-girl and much of the character's comedic
potential was lost. But that's a very small quibble in a mountain of
compliment-worthy work.
Oh, and as it was closing night, there was a free supper of sandwiches,
coffee and cake afterwards, and much pleasure was to be had from
chatting to the cast, crew and director.
We saw Gemco Players' production of Guards! Guards! a few years ago and
that was excellent, but they have truly surpassed themselves with Going
Postal. Needless to say, we're looking forward to their next Discworld
production!
[Editor's note: I've never managed yet to make it to an Unseen Theatre
production, but I suspect that when I eventually do, it will earn
similarly lavish praise]
* GOING POSTAL IN ADELAIDE
By Christine Pyman for Broadway World:
"The main character of Moist von Lipwig, wonderfully bought to life in
front of us by Nicholas Andrews, is an endearing one and, obviously,
Pratchett felt the same way about this creation as he was bought back as
the main character in two more novels. Von Lipwig is a cunning conman
who is almost as good at understanding people's behaviour as the tyrant,
Lord Vetinari, and together they make a controlling team, changing the
society of the not-so-good people of Ankh Morpork. Andrews made the
perfect von Lipwig, with spot-on timing, gestures, and confidence. In
fact, this entire production was well cast, with each of the actors
bringing enthusiasm and fun to their multitudinous roles. Danny Sag
brings experience to his role of Vetinari, who, with a drawl and a
dismissive turn of his head simultaneously manages to give the audience
delight, anticipation and a tinge of horror at his machinations. Sag's
performance was well foiled by Alastair Preece's Drumknott, played with
just the right amount of disinterested disdain to add a layer of
background character to the mainly benevolent dictator Vetinari. Unseen
veteran, Paul Messenger, made an effective leader of a corporation which
irresistibly reminded me of our electricity companies, with
privatisation and profit-making on the agenda...
"The setting of the Post Office also held aside the veils to expose the
innate ridiculousness and depths of bureaucracy, with the possibly Benny
Hill inspired capering of Sam Tutty and Hugh O'Connor. This was tempered
by the beautiful moments of supernatural despair held within the
building, exposed to us through lighting and sound... Newcomer to
Unseen, Nikonus Pappus, had the honour, and spent the effort of getting
right, a one-liner that closed a joke that runs rampant throughout
Pratchett's writing. Perfect. I'll say no more..."
https://www.broadwayworld.com/adelaide/article/BWW-Review-GOING-POSTAL-at-Bakehouse-Theatre-20191121
By Ewart Shaw for Adelaide Now:
"Stephen Briggs’ adaptation is probably the best of all of his
adaptations, pacy and perceptive. It gets the production it deserves
here. Much of the humour comes directly from Pratchett’s witty and
cynical view of life, in this case through the lens of a conman reviving
the failing Post Office... The core cast are excellent. Danny Sag wears
the robes of the Patrician Lord Vetinari with an understated control,
Nicholas Andrews is a totally charming Moist Von Lipwig backed up in the
GPO by Hugh O’Connor and Sam Tutty as a really funny duo of postmen.
Kahlia Tutty is an elegant and well articulated Adora Belle Dearheart
and Adam Thorstensson a stylish Sacharissa Cripslock. Around them the
usual suspects have been rounded up, Alastair Preece, Paul Messenger,
Leighton James, Nikonus Pappas and David Dyte deliver neatly. Special
mention goes to Stephen Dean’s lighting and sound design for some very
clever effects indeed..."
https://bit.ly/2D8iet1 (requires subscription) or https://bit.ly/2pG32jM
(includes some fine cast photos; free download as .pdf)
...and by Jordan Bell for The Clothesline:
"Director Pamela Munt, founder and artistic director of Unseen Theatre
Company, takes on Going Postal for a second time (following an earlier
outing in 2005). She deftly manages a big cast on a small stage, while
staying true to the spirit and scope of Sir Terry’s comedy. The cast,
for the most part, lean into the broad characterisations and deadpan
delivery beloved by Pratchett fans, and some standout moments draw
raucous laughter from the friendly crowd. Danny Sag as the fantastically
ruthless Lord Vetinari steals every scene that he is in. Paul Messenger
nails his role as the sinister villain Reacher Gilt, the head of the
price-fixing, infrastructure-looting, worker-sacking,
competitor-murdering business cabal that have taken over the Grand Trunk
Company, much to the detriment of Ankh-Morpork’s long-suffering
citizens. Nicholas Andrews, as main character Moist, plays the role with
flamboyant energy and well-timed asides – lighting changes are used
effectively to convey the moments he breaks the fourth wall and
addresses the audience directly. But there is a thin line between
charming and smarmy, and Moist sometimes comes across as unsympathetic,
at times when he could have been making the audience fall for his
spiel... From a production perspective, the cast made the most of the
small space, with set changes happening relatively smoothly to create
different locations, and sound and lighting effects used cleverly to
build atmosphere..."
https://theclothesline.com.au/going-postal-unseen-theatre-bakehouse-review/
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
06) DISCWORLD MEETING GROUPS NEWS
The Broken Drummers, "London's Premier Unofficially Official Discworld
Group" (motto "Nil percussio est"), will next meet on Monday 2nd
December at the earlier time of 6pm at The Monkey Puzzle, 30 Southwick
Street, London W2 1JQ. As it is the Drummers' Christmas Party, note that
the pub is serving Christmas-themed meals and there is no need to pre-book.
The November meet report, by Helen on Facebook: "We met Monday night. As
is usual in November it was quite a small crowd so we didn't bother with
a quiz. Alex will do a special quiz next month. Andrew was keen to tell
everyone about the new Youtube cartoon Hazbin Hotel about rehabilitation
for demons. Look it up but be aware it's NSFW and not suitable for
children. I recall discussions on marriage, Iran and the reluctance of
British people to complain in restaurants. It turns out Pete once
complained when a restaurant undercharged him and was given his meal on
the house for his honesty..."
For more information, email BrokenDrummers at gmail.com or
nicholls.helen at yahoo.co.uk or join their Facebook group at
https://www.facebook.com/groups/55107511411/permalink/10156634038566412/
*
Canberra, Australia's Discworld fan group is Drumknott's Irregulars:
"The group is open to all, people from interstate and overseas are
welcome, and our events will not be heavily themed. Come along to dinner
for a chat and good company. We welcome people from all fandoms (and
none) and we would love to see you at one of our events, even if you're
just passing through. Please contact us via Facebook
(_https://www.facebook.com/groups/824987924250161/_) or Google Groups
(_https://groups.google.com/forum/#!forum/drumknotts-irregulars_) or
join us at our next event."
*
For Facebook users in Fourecks: The Victorian Discworld Klatch is "a
social group for fans of Discworld and Terry Pratchett... run by a
dedicated team who meet monthly and organise events monthly." "If you'd
like to join our events please ask to join the Klatch."
https://www.facebook.com/groups/VictorianDiscworldKlatch
*
"The Gathering of the Loonies (Wincanton chapter)" is a public Facebook
meeting group: "This group, by request of Jo in Bear will continue to be
used for future unofficial (not run by the Emporium) fan Gatherings in
Wincanton. Look here for information."
https://www.facebook.com/groups/373578522834654/
*
The Pratchett Partisans are a fan group who meet monthly at either
Brisbane or Indooroopilly to "eat, drink and chat about all things
Pratchett. We hold events such as Discworld dinners, games afternoons,
Discworld photo scavenger hunts. We also attend opening night at
Brisbane Arts Theatre's Discworld plays." The Partisans currently have
about 200 members who meet at least twice a month, usually in Brisbane.
For more info about their next meetup, join up at
https://www.facebook.com/groups/pratchettpartisans/ or contact Ula
directly at uwilmott at yahoo.com.au
*
The City of Small Gods is a group for fans in Adelaide and South
Australia: "We have an established Terry Pratchett & Discworld fan group
in Adelaide called The City of Small Gods, which is open to anyone who
would like to come – you don't have to live in Adelaide or even South
Australia, or even be a Discworld fan, but that's mostly where our
events will be held, and we do like discussing Pratchett's works. Our
(semi-) regular meetings are generally held on the last Thursday of the
month at a pub or restaurant in Adelaide. We have dinner at 6.30pm
followed by games until 9pm. Every few months, we have a full day's
worth of board games at La Scala Cafe, 169 Unley Rd, Unley in the
function room starting at 10am. In addition, we will occasionally have
other events to go and see plays by Unseen Theatre Company, book
discussions, craft, chain maille or costuming workshops or other fun
social activities."
The next CoSG events will be an End of Year picnic in December and the
New Year's Day movie on 1st January (details for both not yet finalised).
The CoSG also have another identity. Here's the skinny:
Round World Events SA Inc is a not-for-profit incorporated association
whose aim is to run fun social Pratchett-themed events for people in
South Australia. Our first major event was the Unseen University
Convivium held in July 2012. We have also run three successful and
booked out Science Fiction and Fantasy themed quiz nights named Quiz
Long And Prosper, in 2013, 2014 and 2015! The association will run some
events under the City of Small Gods banner, but you do not have to be a
Round World Events SA member to be part of City of Small Gods. However,
we are always on the look out for new members for Round World Events SA
to help us organise future events! Membership is $20 a year (for
Adelaide locals) or $5 a year (for those not quite so close) and has the
following benefits:
A shiny membership certificate all of your very own
Discounted entry price to some of the events we run
A warm, fuzzy feeling deep down in your chest (no, not quite that deep)
For more information, or to join as a member, please email
RoundWorldEventsSA at gmail.com
www.cityofsmallgods.org.au
*
The Broken Vectis Drummers meet next on Thursday 5th December (probably)
from 7.30pm at The Castle pub in Newport, Isle of Wight. For more info
and any queries, contact broken_vectis_drummers at yahoo.co.uk
*
The Wincanton Omnian Temperance Society (WOTS) next meets on Friday 6th
December (possibly) at Wincanton's famous Bear Inn from 7pm onwards.
"Visitors and drop-ins are always welcome!"
*
The Northern Institute of the Ankh-Morpork and District Society of
Flatalists, a Pratchett fangroup, has been meeting on a regular basis
since 2005. The Flatalists normally meet at The Narrowboat Pub in
Victoria Street, Skipton, North Yorkshire, to discuss "all things
Pratchett" as well as having quizzes and raffles. Details of future
meetings are posted on the Events section of the Discworld Stamps forum:
http://www.discworldstamps.co.uk/forum/
*
Sydney Drummers (formerly Drummers Downunder) meet next on Monday 2nd
December (possibly) at 6.30pm in Sydney at 3 Wise Monkeys, 555 George
Street, Sydney 2000. For more information, contact Sue (aka Granny
Weatherwax): kenworthys at yahoo.co.uk
*
The Treacle Mining Corporation, formerly known as Perth Drummers, meet
next on Monday 2nd December (possibly) at Old Shanghai, 123 James
Street, Northbridge, Perth, Western Australia. For details join their
Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/Perth.Drummers/ – or
message Alexandra Ware directly at <alexandra.ware at gmail.com>
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
07) AROUND THE BLOGOSPHERE
Blogger Murdocal considers Equal Rites:
"You can tell that it’s an early novel. It doesn’t feel as tight or as
funny. However, after the first two books in the series, we can
celebrate the introduction of a strong narrative here. I’ve nothing
against The Colour of Magic and The Light Fantastic but they were more
about parody than storytelling. Equal Rites starts to move us towards
the wider universe of these novels... The novel spends an awful lot of
time getting to where it needs to be. Pratchett delights in the minutiae
of his world and we spend a lot of time describing people and places. A
lot of time that could have been spent on the main plot of the novel. As
a Tolkien fan, I love a good bit of lush description but not at the
expense of the story... there is a lot of fantastic world-building on
show here. The new characters we meet and the new places we visit are
all created with such care and originality. Pratchett knows how to
expand a universe and work everything together. The introduction of
Granny Weatherwax is superb and you can tell she’s on her way to
becoming a great character..."
https://motherbookerblog.com/2019/10/23/book-review-equal-rites-by-terry-pratchett/
Blogger thecorneroflaura returns with a review of The Long Earth as an
audiobook:
"The introduction to Stepping was sudden and left the readers guessing
what was going on as much as the characters. And it was a great
introduction to Joshua and Janson. It’s hard to say which of them I like
best but I definitely like the nuns a lot... It’s definitely more
story-driven than character-driven and there is an incredible amount of
detail in the worlds. For all that, it’s comparatively low on the
technical talk. A non-scientifically minded reader (like me) could
follow it fairly well... Entirely unexpected change of pace at the last
part after far too much time-wasting. Something had to give but I didn’t
think it would be that. That twist hit me so fast, I almost got
whiplash, and it almost made it worth sticking this book out..."
https://thecorneroflaura.wordpress.com/2019/10/23/in-one-word-the-long-earth-by-terry-pratchett-and-stephen-baxter-is/
Blogger and budding author Michael J Ritchie also reviewed The Long Earth:
"I’ve not read much Stephen Baxter, but what I have is always
phenomenal. He is truly one of the greatest science fiction writers in
history, and the only reason I haven’t read more is that they’re usually
very long and hefty tomes. Everything he writes, no matter how
impossible it seems at first, comes across as realistic and perfectly
probable. Pratchett, I am always more wary of and still can’t fully
embrace the Discworld novels. However, as with Good Omens, it seems
that, for me at least, Pratchett is best when tempered by someone else,
but his imagination and humour come through here for sure, and a lot of
the jokes and pop culture references are certainly his doing. Between
them, they have produced a scenario that is fascinating. True
consideration has gone in to what would happen in a world like this...
We meet a lot of characters, all going through different things and
showing the different ways people reacted to the aftermath of Step Day,
and the timeline jumps back and forth with reckless abandon. The stars
of the book for me, however, are the Earths themselves..."
https://fellfromfiction.wordpress.com/2019/11/14/the-long-earth-by-terry-pratchett-stephen-baxter-2013/
Blogger Worth a Thousand Words enjoyed TAMAHER:
I was like 'Terry Pratchett writes children’s books?!'. My boyfriend
likes Terry Pratchett but I’ve not read any of his book before this so I
thought this would be a nice easy introduction... I really enjoyed this
book. There was one character who was quite annoying but I think that
was intentional. It’s kind of a very self aware book and I’m sure some
of it would go over kids’s heads. Maurice (the cat) is a great character
to read from and just so sassy..."
https://worth1000wordsweb.wordpress.com/2019/11/11/81-the-amazing-maurice-and-his-educated-rodents-bookish-blurb/
Blogger Tegan Stevenson compares Good Omens the book and Good Omens the
series:
Book adaptations can invite some pretty strong emotions. Whether it’s
popular or a bit obscure there are plenty of people who have opinions
about it and they often want to share them. I know that I can be the
same because, if you love something you want the adaptation to recognise
the delight that comes with seeing something that you’ve loved. That
being said, the lead up the release of the series was positive in my
mind. I spent months trying to avoid spoilers on Tumblr etc. because I’d
rather watch the full thing in it’s entirety without keeping an eye out
for specific tiny moments that I already know about. Yes, even though
I’d read the book I still wanted that experience of seeing the series
with fresh eyes for the first time... what an amazing series! It was
absolutely gorgeous to watch. For starters, the settings were
incredible. Aziraphale’s infamous bookshop was even better than I’d
imagined. I would absolutely love to live in a cottage like the one
Anathema rented and Crowley’s flat… (wicked laugh) so severe and so
lush. I was totally lost in the moment as we watched the series and I
just enjoyed it from start to end. We all did. I think that, for me, the
series emphasised all of the best elements of the book and it was a joy
to watch as the angel Aziraphale and the demon Crowley stumbled about..."
https://teganstevensonwrites.wordpress.com/2019/11/13/a-good-weekend/
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
08) IMAGES OF THE MONTH
A collection of iconographs from Gungahlin College's recent production
of Mort: https://bit.ly/2PLPI8c
Moist von Lipwig and Lord Vetinari, from Unseen Theatre's just-finishing
production of Going Postal, photographed by Michael Errey:
https://bit.ly/33yRmNV
A very believable-looking trio of Lancre witches from Alsager Community
Theatre's current production of Wyrd Sisters:
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EJ6U_CDXYAAB29t?format=jpg&name=small
The cast of Leeds Children's Theatre's recent production of Johnny and
the Dead:
http://www.leeds-childrens-theatre.co.uk/uploads/1/5/1/2/15123772/full-cast1-copyright_1_orig.jpg
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
09) CLOSE
For those of you who might have been saving up for the Paul
Kidby-illustrated, beautiful but *very* expensive limited Good Omens
Ineffable Edition, some sad news: all 666 copies have now been sold. So
somewhere there are – or will be, come Hogswatch – some very happy Good
Omens fans... however, copies of the still pricey but more affordable
(and less limited, at 1,655 copies) Occult Edition are still available:
https://shop.paulkidby.com/the-definitive-good-omens-occult-edition/
...and if you're a Good Omens fan with money to burn, you can still
apply for one of the only 24 copies to be made of the Celestial Edition:
"The Celestial Edition is a rare presentation copy and a serious
investment for book and art collectors. The craftsmanship in this
edition elevates each copy to a work of art. The leather-bound hardback
book features metal corner pieces and gold foil page edges, contained in
a burr oak presentation box with brass inlays. 20 colour illustrations
with additional pencil images. Each copy individually hand-printed and
bound by specialists in the UK. Named tipped-in sheets, each book and
its unique box corresponding to a letter of the Greek alphabet, signed
by Neil Gaiman & Paul Kidby. Separate folio of Good Omens ephemera."
http://goodomensillustrated.com/celestial-edition-application/
And that's it for November. Mind how you go, and we'll see you next month!
– Annie Mac
This issue can be viewed on the clacks at
https://wossname.dreamwidth.org/75359.html
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