This February sees SUP Theatre Company bring Terry Pratchett’s popular novel to life at the Nuffield Theatre.
Monstrous Regiment is a dark comedy that explores the adventures of Polly Perks, who joins the army in the hopes of finding her missing brother. However, she must be careful, as in the Discworld territory of Borogravia, women are prohibited from joining the army. Luckily all she needs is a haircut, a change of clothes and an extra pair of socks to transform her into Private Oliver Perks, a genius disguise sure to keep her identity hidden. Polly soon finds herself marching off to war in a squad known as the ‘Monstrous Regiment’, called so for the heroic misfits that make it up. These include a reformed vampire with a caffeine addiction, a troll, an Igor and a clumsy lieutenant who is more of a danger to himself than the enemy. With little training, the Monstrous Regiment soon find themselves in the middle of a war they are ill equipped to fight. Will they find that the best man for the job is a woman?
SUP Theatre Company seeks to celebrate Terry Pratchett’s legacy through their adaptation of Monstrous Regiment, honouring not only his novels but his many adaptations for stage and film as well. As the director of Monstrous Regiment, Imogen Higgs, explains, “Terry Pratchett, who was, up until J.K Rowling, the UK’s bestselling author, sadly passed away last year after a long battle with Alzheimer’s. He wrote over 35 books for his infamous Discworld Series. To celebrate his work SUP Theatre Company couldn’t think of a more fitting honour than to take one of his adaptations to the stage.”
According to Higgs, Monstrous Regiment is the best play to celebrate his varied work, as the standalone nature of the text means no previous knowledge of the complicated world that Pratchett created is necessary. However, fans of the Discworld series will be given their own nod by the company, as Higgs states “There are, of course, some well-loved characters making an appearance for the fans”.
Monstrous Regiment runs at the Nuffield Theatre from 31 January-04 February. Tickets for the show can be found here. Watch the trailer below.
