Customer Reviews

Mort: The Play (Discworld Series)

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This is a good adaption of a great book. When reading it, one has to keep in mind, that it is just that: an adaption and not an original work. You should NOT (under no circumstances!!!) read this instead of reading the novel. As with all the other adaptions of Pratchett's books, it is very true to the spirit of the novel and the discworld. Of course one might have different views what should be included in the play and what can be left out, but this is a good start... So, buy it, stage it and enjoy it...

Yours, Tom

Mort is another magnificent addition to the Discworld series. With all the fun and excitment of the other novels, Mort stills shines through. Mort is a goofy country boy who's looking for a job. So he decides to go to a local job fair. As the last in line, Mort finds a tall, dark, mysterious figure, waiting fo him. The man offers him a job he simply can't refuse. As Death's new apprentice, Mort learns all the tricks of the trade. Like how to walk through walls, how to pull things from a 'cloak of eternity', and how to sever the very thread that binds people to the realm of the living. And he does all this, in Death's neat clothing. However, Mort finds out that taking Death's work into his own hands doesn't please him very much. Indeed, ticking off the Master is not good at all.

Mort.
A Discworld novell by Terry Pratchett.
This is a story about Death, not the state of beeing when
your life has ended, the person death.
Or, as he would pur it himself, The morphogenic
personification Death. Death has allways been facinated by
the humans. He has , quit natyrally,
a job where he meets a lot of them.
But he has never been able to fully understand them.
and when he is easy influated by them,
he decided to take on a apprentice
(noone knew whye when he is imortal,
but as said earlier, he is easy influated)
and the young man Mortimer , often called
Mort (wich shows that faith has humor)
was, after death convincing him that death was
compulsory,hired.
This is the story about death, and for a moment, a death
called Mort.

Niklas Moser

I loved the novel and I think I like this play even more!
My year 12s are looking for a play to perform and I wasn't sure that this play would be suitable but I'm very pleased that it is. We only have 10 actors but I think with a combination of live action and cinematic theatre we will be able to stage it. That's what I love about Stephen Briggs' adaptations: they are so simple and easy to work with! (NB Performance rights are also very reasonably priced!)
Play has a cast of 24 but many are very small parts. Written in a style that is very easy to stage. Retains the discworld flavour without needing a prior knowledge of discworld to enjoy it!

funny. funny. funny. This was my first Pratchett book toread. This book opened up a brand new world to me. I love thisbook. The plot is great. It is one of his best. Death is a great character. If you haven't read any of Pratchett and want to know about his books, read this. It has tons of characters from Ysabell, Albert, Death, Rincewind, Death.... et cetera. This book is great.

I was looking for something to produce with the middle school kids. I borrowed some Briggs' adaptations of Pratchett's novels from the library. I've read one. It was "Monstrous Regiment". It was hard to read. I caught myself sleeping with the book in my hands number of times. I asked myself why. Dialogs are supposed to be funny and I am supposed to enjoy all these humors and witty language. I thought that probably something is wrong with me, but I did not try to read from cover to cover others Briggs' adaptations which I had from a library and one more I purchased on Amazon. I went to read other authors. And I have found number of plays which I was able to read from cover to cover without stop and forgetting about the world around me. I thought about Pratchett's - Briggs' writing again and I decided that this is about nothing. All these characters seem do not have things important enough to do to make the story interesting for me. They do not have strong motives and they lack feelings related to motives. It looks that all what they care for is to say funny line, and for me the line for it's own sake is not funny. Briggs' do not feel a theatre as I do. At least in this play I've red. Maybe he feels a stage, but I would say that this is more about something like stand-up comedy where funny line matters most, not about theatre where when you do not have clear and strong character's characterization and motivation the effect is boring. Briggs' made lot of choices to make the novel into the play. But his play is kind of narrative anyway. He stacks dozens of characters into a play, what doesn't help to make it more clear and meaningful.
Kids may like this style of writing. And probably some teachers may find the way to make this meaningful for kids. But I was looking for something else. This year I am doing with my kids "Still Life with Iris" by Steven Dietz. Read this one. You will know what I meant above. And if you are teen-ager try it to. You will find the very different style then one by Pratchett and Briggs.

I was looking for something to produce with the middle school kids. I borrowed some Briggs' adaptations of Pratchett's novels from the library. I've read one. It was "Monstrous Regiment". It was hard to read. I caught myself sleeping with the book in my hands number of times. I asked myself why. Dialogs are supposed to be funny and I am supposed to enjoy all these humors and witty language. I thought that probably something is wrong with me, but I did not try to read from cover to cover others Briggs' adaptations which I had from a library and one more I purchased on Amazon. I went to read other authors. And I have found number of plays which I was able to read from cover to cover without stop and forgetting about the world around me. I thought about Pratchett's - Briggs' writing again and I decided that this is about nothing. All these characters seem do not have things important enough to do to make the story interesting for me. They do not have strong motives and they lack feelings related to motives. It looks that all what they care for is to say funny line, and for me the line for it's own sake is not funny. Briggs' do not feel a theatre as I do. At least in this play I've red. Maybe he feels a stage, but I would say that this is more about something like stand-up comedy where funny line matters most, not about theatre where when you do not have clear and strong character's characterization and motivation the effect is boring. Briggs' made lot of choices to make the novel into the play. But his play is kind of narrative anyway. He stacks dozens of characters into a play, what doesn't help to make it more clear and meaningful.
Kids may like this style of writing. And probably some teachers may find the way to make this meaningful for kids. But I was looking for something else. This year I am doing with my kids "Still Life with Iris" by Steven Dietz. Read this one. You will know what I meant above. And if you are teen-ager try it to. You will find the very different style then one by Pratchett and Briggs.