ICSM - Guards! Guards!
Written by Jack Bates
When the continual toils of being a medical student begin to get me down, I find there is no better remedy than a bit of Terry Pratchett. Effortlessly readable, immensely humorous and with more than forty books to choose from, I will never tire of this medicine. Last week, this took the form of ICSM Drama’s production of Guards! Guards!
The story, adapted for the stage by Stephen Briggs, revolves around a 60 foot dragon terrorising the city of Ankh-Morpork. The only people who can stop it are the drunk, Captain Vimes, and the incompetent men in his City Watch. As I took my seat, I did wonder how they were going to manage with that dragon. The show was student theatre at its most enjoyable. It lacked the polished finish of anything professional but the talent and enthusiasm of those involved more than made up for it.
The special effects added an extra sense of whimsy. Instead of the puppet of cardboard and papier-mache that I had been expecting, the dragon was created from a red light and a well-placed smoke machine. Simple but surprisingly effective. My favourite moment was when a two-foot plush dragon rose up against sprawling backdrop of Ankh-Morpork to the fanfare of the Dambusters theme. That, I was not expecting!
Guards! Guards! was a wonderfully enjoyable way to spend an evening, in the spirit of Pratchett himself. It stayed true enough to the book to appease the rabid fan inside me but was accessible enough for my less-read friends.
Altogether, a good - and cheap, for London - night out.
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