I want to give some warm and fuzzies to Arena’s production of the stage adaptation of Terry Pratchett’s Monstrous Regiment. I’m too lazy (and hardly feel qualified) to write a detailed critique, so I’ll just give a few observations. I’ll give a few negative ones also, so I don’t seem like a total lickspittle.

First and foremost, I enjoyed the show very much and found myself chuckling along at a good rate throughout. I regularly attend amateur theatre and by those standards I found Monstrous Regiment to be a very strong production. The result probably deserves extra credit when one considers that the nature of the material is surely more suited to a CGI feature film than the stage.

The large majority of the cast provided either solid or excellent characterisations. There were a couple of weaker characters, however the play requires a very large cast and so it is understandable that as an amateur production not every minor role can be filled with a strong actor. (I have a bit of experience, myself, at being a crap actor in a small role!)

I probably most enjoyed Jeremy Malcolm as the cross-dressing Lieutenant Blouse, especially his comical sword practise. Other performances that I thought were excellent include those of Michael Lamont, Seton Pollock and Joanne Williams. The costuming and endearingly subdued performance of Andrew Shugg as Carborundum the dim-witted troll was also an absolute delight. As I indicated earlier, most of the rest of the cast provided either good or very good performances. Costuming was very good too.

Now for some small negatives that the cast might like to consider. During the performance that I attended, energy levels seemed to drop off towards the end of Act 1. Also, although there were only a couple of infractions that stuck out, I’ll give a general reminder to not deliver lines upstage unless the nature of the scene or blocking genuinely requires it, and give preference to using your upstage hand when gesturing across the stage, etcetera. Finally, be careful of the sight-lines at the downstage-left entrance, actors could regularly be seen queuing up there for their entrances.

In conclusion, I thought the show was great fun and I wish the cast and crew all the very best for the remainder of the season.

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