Wyrd Sisters: The Play

Discworld Stage Adaptations

by Stephen Briggs (adapter), Terry Pratchett

Terry Pratchett takes Shakespeare's Macbeth and then turns it up 'till the knob comes off. It's all there - a wicked duke and duchess, the ghost of the murdered king, dim soldiers, strolling players, a land in peril. And who stands between the Kingdom and destruction? Three witches. Granny Weatherwax (intolerant, self-opinionated, powerful), Nanny Ogg (down-to-earth, vulgar) and Magrat Garlick (naïve, fond of occult jewellery and bunnies).

Stephen Briggs has been involved in amateur dramatics for over 25 years and he assures us that the play can be staged without needing the budget of Industrial Light and Magic. Not only that, but the cast should still be able to be in the pub by 10 o'clock!

Oh, and a world of advice omitted from the play text:

LEARN THE WORDS
Havelock, Lord Vetinari

Genres: Fantasy, Plays, Fiction, Humor, Comedy, Drama, Theatre

154 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 1996

About the author

Stephen Briggs is a British writer of subsidiary works and merchandise surrounding Terry Pratchett's comic fantasy Discworld. He is also a narrator of many Discworld audiobooks
who graduated from Curtin University with a double major in Theatre Arts and Creative Writing before attending WAPPA and studying Broadcasting. Midway through his time there he decided he didn't want to be a journo and moved to Sydney to join RMK Voice Productions. Stephen has voiced countless campaigns and appeared in numerous professional plays. He has written and directed six short films, one of which, Whatever it Takes, satirises the Voice Over business.

Please note that there is a separate Stephen^^Briggs whose area of expertise is psychotherapy.

Reviews

[Kelly Furniss · Rating 5 out of 5]

I listened to the BBC production of this play and it was brilliant.
The cast did an amazing job and the witches were hilarious really bringing Sir Terry Pratchett's book alive. I decided I needed to slow down the speed to be able to follow the plot but this did not effect the enjoyment. I can see why the witches are many fans favourites as they put a spin on Macbeth.
A very enjoyable audiobook.

[Sakina Murdock · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favourite Terry Pratchett book and the first one I ever read, Wyrd Sisters is a Discworld take on MacBeth. The witches are hilarious and the storms magnificent.

[Tim · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit predictable even while a bit confusing at times. Nonetheless, another fine story by Sir Pratchett in his Discworld series. 6 of 10 stars

[Carien · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved reading it again. The play script gave a different experience all together

[Bryn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Really not as funny as Pratchett, and not, I think, how I would have adapted it, but it did make me think about those things, at least. I appreciated the notes from Briggs about the decisions they made and how they staged it.

[Angelique · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute. Really does a great job of dramatising the book. Can see why it’s such a hit.

[Daniela · Rating 3 out of 5]

Maybe I'm a boring person, but I found this book, well, boring. It was close to being a DNF for me.
Whatever was supposed to be funny was just weird to me (or Wyrd, if you'd like).

So you if you, like me, are not into fantasy that much, you may not enjoy this one no matter how much your fantasy-enthusiast friends recommend it.

[Chelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listened to the BBC production of this play. It was hilarious and well done.

[Kat_astrof · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love Terry Pratchett's books, they are absolutely fantastic!
This one criticized kings/rulers and their use of power through words and theatre (media). I love how many levels his books in general have and how you can reread a book and find a new view pretty much each time you read the book.
For this book I strongly recommend that it's read in chronological order with witches abroad and lords and ladies. Otherwise many of the books can be read in any order or by their own, but to get more of the story these books should be read in chronological order.
Hope you enjoy it as much as I did! :)

[Jiang Yuqi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have enormous respect for any authors who set off to adapt any Shakespeare‘s tragedies into comedies. Terry Pratchett and Stephen Briggs’s Wyrd Sisters (a novel parodying Macbeth by Pratchett, now adapted into a play text by Brigg) is everything one could dream for: fast-pace and sharp-wit dialogues; a perfect balance between the tragic and comic modes manifested through a fool character; jokes on adultery and dynastic endeavours; reflections on the social functions of language etc. They really pull it off. Thanks for cooking, Sir Terry and Mr. Brigg!

[Sue · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as funny to read as the book is, but then it's adapted from Terry Pratchett's best novel as far as I'm concerned. And of all of his books it was the one asking to become a play, as the plot is partly based om Macbeth and it involves a theatre company whose performance of a play even closer to Macbeth is disrupted by three witches!
However I've also seen this play performed and it's a lot of fun!

[Daniel W · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this stage adaptation with the idea of putting on the play. Happily, I got the opportunity to do so - even if it felt the script was missing a few key things, which luckily I was given permission to add back in.

Briggs’ Pratchett scripts will only ever be a supplement to the novels, and that’s fine. And if you do put on the play, you make a donation to the Orangutan Foundation, and that’s always a good thing.

[Don · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entertained.
He turns the inside of my truck into a fantasy of thaumaturgical wonder. He builds a world "inside the world, which reflected it in pretty much the same way as a drop of water reflected the landscape. And yet ... and yet ... This is Art holding a Mirror up to Life." I liked spending time with the Wyrd Sisters, though there was something a bit scary about them as well.

[Verity W · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's been a long time since I read Wyrd Sisters, which was one of the first Discworld Books that I read and having fallen in love with Ankh Morpork, I haven't really revisited. But this adaptation for the stage by Stephen Briggs reminded me how much fun the story is. And I'd love to see this put on. I must go and reread the book.

[Monstah Slayah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've listened to the BBC Radio version, read the play and seen it performed a couple of times. It is so so good.
I first saw it in '97 and the guy who played Felmet was so good I still remember his performance when reading the book and the play.

[Rachel C · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm enjoying renewing my Discworld knowledge with these short plays, however I did get a bit lost with this being a play, especially as a audiobook, as it wasn't always clear who was doing what, so maybe for this particular one I should have reread the book.

[Igor Cebrian Muiño · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pues uno de los mejores volúmenes de mundodisco, sin duda, pero no, no es el mejor... (sic).

[Maria Elmvang · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amazing how many details I'd forgotten in the years since we performed this (2002). I just WISH we'd gotten around to getting a copy of the recording before the theater society disbanded.

[Monica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Always love some Terry Pratchette!

[Brian · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read the book and skip this BBC adaptation. It was okay but the effects were extremely intrusive and made it hard to follow.

[codenamerogue · Rating 3 out of 5]

More whimsy than substance but, like, in a good way?

[Paschalis]

elibrary

[Gwen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun adaptation of the original. I would like to see it staged.

[AGMaynard]

For Quarantine Drama Club!

[aakrasian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cute, will I do the rest of the series… perhaps

[Matthew Cobb · Rating 5 out of 5]

The sort of script where you are Stoll finding hidden meaning on the opening night. Great fun

[Nik · Rating 4 out of 5]

This hit with the nostalgia, since I clearly remember watching this cartoon as a kid.
Reads as a screenplay and just as funny as watching it. Cool illustrations from the show throughout.

[Cassandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love it. Up next, the original book that the play is based on!

[Jack Raymond · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is so great. One of the best Discworld novels handsdown, and that's not mean feat. Well worth the read

[Beck · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ah the memories from year 11 drama play production...