It probably goes without saying that I’m a huge Terry Pratchett fan, so when I hear that someone’s doing an adaptation of one of his novels it generally fills me with dread. Not because I think they’re sacrosanct and shouldn’t be touched, I’m not a ‘origin format’ stick-in-the-mud by any means, it’s just that over the years, and the many books, I’ve built up a picture in my head of the Discworld, of the language, the politics, the nature of its inhabitants and of how it hangs together as a whole, complete, and perfect and all in my head.
So against that backdrop along comes the National Theatre with an adaptation of ‘Nation’; not just a Terry Pratchett novel, but a very recent Terry Pratchett novel and one which I, amongst others, believe to be – if such a thing exists – a perfect story. But, and this is where the National have been quite canny, Nation is a standalone novel, set not in Discworld but rather in a parallel universe, a totally new location – a desert Island – with all-new characters and no pre-concieved ideals to hamper it – and that is a smart choice.
For those who don’t know, Nation is the story of two teenagers – Mau and Daphne – thrown together by a tsunami that has destroyed Mau’s village and left Daphne shipwrecked on his island, thousands of miles from home. One wears next to nothing, the other a long white dress; neither speaks the other’s language; somehow they must learn to survive. As starving refugees gather, Daphne delivers a baby, milks a pig, brews beer and does battle with a mutineer. Mau fights cannibal Raiders, discovers the world is round and questions the reality of his tribe’s fiercely patriarchal gods. Together they come of age, overseen by a foul-mouthed parrot, as they discard old doctrine to forge a new ‘Nation’.
I was lucky enough to be invited to sneak peak at a scene from this new production, adapted by Mark Ravenhill and Directed by Melly Still, and I’m happy to report that I left this all-too-short preview delighted with what I saw and bursting with anticipation at what the production proper will surely offer. The performances show real bravado, especially Gary Carr as Mau, and the narrative has cleverly retained the nuance and humour of the original source material, something that often gets lost in favour of preaching or slapstick.
I have to say, on this brief look, the National Theatre seem to have done the book proud and I for one will be abusing the credit card to grab tickets while they’re still available and, Pratchett fan or not, you should be doing the same.
Nation is on at the Olivier Theatre. The website, with video diaries and rehearsal pictures can be reached by clicking here and you can also get to ticket information and booking from the site.
See you there!