Maskerade: The Play

Discworld Stage Adaptations

by Stephen Briggs (Adaptor), Terry Pratchett

A play based on terry pratchett's novel maskerade.

All is not well in Ankh-Morpork Opera House. A ghost stalks the corridors, leaving strange letters for the management and killing people. Granny Weatherwax and Nanny Ogg, two Lancre witches, investigate. This is an adaptation of Terry Pratchett's Discworld novel, "Maskerade".

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Humor, Comedy, Plays, Science Fiction Fantasy, Satire

114 pages, Paperback

First published September 18, 1998

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

[E.j. Kay · Rating 5 out of 5]

A hilarious and beautifully observed book, as TP's books always are. My favourites are those that feature Nanny Ogg and Granny Weatherwax, so this one is a real treat!

[[ J o ] · Rating 3 out of 5]

[ to review at a later date - perhaps even re-read and review at a later date as well, though not urgent ]

[Gareth · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wish I'd enjoyed this more but Maskerade is a case of too much plot and not enough jokes. I was reading it with a view to proposing it to my theatre. I'd hoped that the Phantom of the Opera pastiche would make it a good entry point for non-fantasy audiences. But the jokes about opera feel rather dated, most of the characters aside from the witches are pretty one-dimensional and the play requires alot of locations and thus alot of indulgence from the audience. It would work with "the home crowd" of Discworld fans but the more general audience would not find much to laugh at.

[Star ☔️ · Rating 5 out of 5]

I finished reading all of the Discworld plays. Stephen Briggs did a tremendous job adapting Terry Pratchett’s works. These plays were an entry point for me into Discworld. So many laugh out loud moments. I love the characters, the humor, the dialogue, and the world.

[Bonnie Dale Keck · Rating 5 out of 5]

40 of so books, different collections, some audio, it's pratchett, read and heard some as well, all. Dates wrong.

[Matthew · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice adaptation of the book for the stage. Got the major plot points in it.

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was definitely well written, pretty descriptive and evocative, rather funny and with not too bad a storyline. So, where did it all go wrong?

Well, for my personal tastes, it was simply too daft. To compound this, although I say the book was well written, it is written in the style of a children's fairy tale and more often than not, the humour is in the ridiculous style of writing rather than the story itself. Pratchett never uses one word when he can use fifty - again, particularly if he can write a la dafte. This is at times distracting and without any question, self indulgent tosh - it simply adds nothing to the story and slows it down too much.

There is no denying whether this is a good book, just whether it is a great one. I would be wary of expecting literary genius after picking up a Pratchett novel but they would undoubtedly make a top rate holiday time filler.

[Jrobertus · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this episode on the Disc world, Pratchett gives an affectionate skewering to the world of opera. Local witch Nanny Ogg has written a book revealing some passionate recipes and Granny Weatherwax sees she has been ripped off by the Ankh-Morpork publisher. They go there to straighten matters out and encounter a local witch candidate who is ghosting for a budding diva at the opera house. There is a ghost in the opera house and foul play that needs sorting out and our heroines are up to the task with theri insight and persistence. As usual, the dialog is fast and funny, and the insights into human nature and institutions profound. All these books are fun. I listened to this one as an audio book, and the reader was terrific.

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've long thought Terry Pratchett to be one of the best over-all authors I've ever encountered. He's beyond hilarious, and hits on so many of the things that make a book worth reading. There's the story, and then underneath it, The Story. He manages to turn everything you thought you knew about stories on its head, but instead of being lost, you are thoroughly entertained. His take on The Phantom of the Opera is brilliant, highlighting everything that is ridiculous and marvelous in both the original book by Gaston Leroux and the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical. I would recommend this to anyone with a taste for British humour... here it is, at its best!

[Brendan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Re-read Maskerade a few weeks before reading this adaptation. I felt it was fairly good. It gets the plot across without having to get into Pratchett's explanations and quippery. I know that isn't a word, but I'm going to keep it in anyway. Good lines, interesting stage directions. I hope to see it on stage. My big wonder is if the humor I read in the lines would translate well to the stage when spoken.

[Will · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of my favorite Terry's books. It made me laugh, it made me smile, it made me think and even pity some of the characters. And it do all this things to me so freely that i was charmed. I think that's Terry's magic - he can took you right in the action and you'll believe it's real.

[Charmaine Clancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Discworld books just get better and better! Who'd have thought a novel focusing on two old broads would be so darn funny! This one delves into the world of opera and dabbles in publishing, Nanny Ogg has released a naughty cookbook - The Joy of Snacks - look out for the banana surprise!

[Doug · Rating 3 out of 5]

Terry's parody of 'Phantom of the Opera' and it's ilk.

[Lynn Erasmus]

Very funny, as are most of his stories involving Granny Weatherwax, Nanny Ogg and Magrat Garlick. Will definitey read again once my exams are over.

[Kieran · Rating 4 out of 5]

Opera will never be the same again

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

A comical spin on the classic story Phantom of the Opera! If you like that story at all, you should read this.

[Olivia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVED it!

[Jools · Rating 4 out of 5]

I felt the teen witches took the edge off the story a little, but still a rollicking good read

[Danninomics · Rating 2 out of 5]

Because its such a dark tale this is my least favorite Discworld book

[Charlotte Babb · Rating 4 out of 5]

The phantom never encountered such a singer as the one who can sing duets with herself. This is lots of fun with Granny Weatherwax and Nanny Ogg at the opera.

[Alexander Todd]

An Hilarious adaptation of the 'Phantom of the Opera' story

[Riikka Jaakkola · Rating 4 out of 5]

My first Pratchett book ever! It took ages for me to finish, got better towards the end. Description of the theatre doorman was hilarious!

[Iris]

Another masterpiece which had me laughing out loud.

[A.D. Starrling · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ah, Agnes Perdita X Nitt. What a name. What a book. Okay, so it's a parody of Phantom of the Opera, but with Granny Weatherwax in it. As a courtesan no less. Look out for Nanny Ogg in a tutu!

[Vicky Massingham · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great book by a fab author!

[Kamilla · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another favourite.

[Josey · Rating 5 out of 5]

My fav witches book

[Stella Riley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I saw this performed at the Edinburgh Fringe two or three years ago and it was perfectly dreadful. The script wasn't up to Pratchett's standards - and the performance was dreadful.

[Zoe · Rating 5 out of 5]

First class!

[Jenny Burridge · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent.