The Fifth Elephant
★★★☆☆ Heroic
Pleasance: Thurs 4 – Sun 7 Dec 2025
Review by Tom Ralphs
Strawmoddie Theatre return to the Pleasance with Stephen Briggs adaptation of The Fifth Elephant, ten years since the death of author Terry Pratchett and ten years since they were established.
It’s the seventh Pratchett story Strawmoddie have brought to the stage since 2023, which is a sign both of their love of the late author’s work and the fact that he continues to have a loyal following that makes every play a crowd puller.
Chris Allan (Vimes) and Sinclair Davis (Inago Skimmer). Pic Robin Mair Photography.
The Fifth Elephant was Pratchett’s 24th novel and, as with other novels he had published since Maskerade in 1995, Briggs worked on the stage play at the same time as the novel was being completed.
This perhaps explains why the play comes in at just over three hours before intervals are added. At times it feels like more could have been done to establish the core spine of the story and trim it down somewhat.
The large number of short scenes and location shifts also presents a challenge for any production. The prop and set design team of Chris Allan, Hilary Davies, Grace Gilbert and Alice Pelan work around this with a minimal set that largely consists of three backdrops – a stonework and a wood paneling interior and an icy forest exterior – alongside many scenes played out in front of the stage curtains.
responsibility
This places a lot of responsibility on to the cast and director Alex Card to bring the script and characters to life and maintain the attention of the audience.
Chris Allan (Vimes), Blair Flucker (Rhys Rhysson), Frank Skelly (Albrecht Albrechtson), Hilary Davies (Dee) and Chris Pearson (Dwarf Guard). Pic Robin Mair Photography.
While they manage this exceptionally well in the second act, the first and third are less successful. A large amount of time is spent establishing the various plot strands in Act 1, while Act 3 suffers from the weight of all that has gone before it.
The main storyline centres around the upcoming coronation of Rhys Rhysson (Blair Flucker) as the Low King of the Dwarves in Überwald and the decision of Lord Vetinari (Jonathan Whiteside) to send Captain of the Watch, Sam Vimes (Chris Allan), to the coronation as an ambassador tasked with securing increased imports of fat from the country.
ceremonial relic
Into that mix, comes the apparent theft of the Scone of Stones, the ceremonial relic that shows Pratchett’s knowledge of Celtic history; and a battle between dwarves, werewolves and others which reveals that factionalism, false nationalism and overt racism are alive and thriving in corners of the Discworld.
This also means that most, if not all, of the Discworld regulars get brought into the proceedings with Angua (Alice Pelan) and Carrot (Alex Card) having the main linked sub-plot thanks to Angua’s parents (Grace Gilbert as the Baroness and Matthew Jebb as the Baron) and son (Wolfgang played by Caitlin Carter) leading the werewolf faction in Überwald.
Caitlin Carter (Wolfgang) and Chris Allan (Vimes) with lupine members of the Fifth Elephant company. Pic Robin Mair Photography.
As Vimes, Allan captures the essence of a life long socialist with no regards for royalty who has inadvertently found himself a member of the titled class. Ben Blow, playing his wife Lady Sybil, delivers a performance that places him amongst the great pantomime dames that never were. As well as contributing a scene-stealing moment as he performs an aria that shows off a superb singing voice and ability to over emote with the best of them.
distance and disinterest
With Vetinari having a comparatively small role in the script, Whiteside does not have to do any heavy lifting in the production but maintains the tone of distance and disinterest that defines the character. Similarly, while Carrot has a larger part, Card knows that he is not a comic creation and delivers a steady performance that does not draw focus from the main storyline and characters.
Ben Blow (Lady Sybil) Chris Allan (Vimes) with the Fifth Elephand company. Pic Robin Mair Photography.
Pelan as Angua has the mix of spirit, determination and vulnerability that comes from her werewolf heritage and awareness of what it means for her attempts to live a normal life. In contrast, Gilbert vamps up the Baroness role while Jebb turns the Baron into a dog on heat to bring out the comedy and contrast. Carter delivers a performance that shows the delight Wolfgang takes in their mix of menace and sadism.
Flucker’s hapless Low King appears to be as surprised by their elevation to the highest realm of power as the citizens of Überwald, while their nearest rival for the vote Albrecht Albrechtson (Frank Skelly) is equally unlikely as a leader. Hilary Davies fits the bill as Dee with a bitterness, world weariness and duplicity that suggested a character who feels themself to be above the idiots they serve and deal with.
understated shiftiness
Sinclair Davis as Inigo Skimmer, the member of the assassins guild assigned to protect Vimes, plays the role with an understated shiftiness that suggests he is used to staying in the shadows, and Gregor Dickie as Detritus also works well within the confines of a role that is destined to be limited in scope to standard lines and responses rather than a narrative arc.
Amber Lipman (Cheery), Alan Sunter (Igor), Chris Allan (Vimes), Gregor Dickie (Detritus) and Alex Card (Carrot). Pic Robin Mair Photography.
Cheery (Amber Lipman) has a more interesting storyline, something that Card emphasises in his director’s notes, but this gets lost at times as Lipman struggles to be heard in the large hall, particularly when speaking from the rear of the stage. And is not helped by audience members returning late from the first interval.
Alan Sunter as a whole host of people named Igor manages to be consistently entertaining and amusing, particularly in his early showman style appearances. Nick Thorne as Lady Margolotta also gives a good comic performance, while the funniest scene is delivered by Ray Finlayson, Jasmine Lindemann and Katie Bennett as the three Glum Sisters, with references to their Cherry Orchard and Uncle Vanya making the Chekhov parody clear and superbly presented.
belligerent wit
Chris Pearson also provides one of the great cameo scenes as Done it Duncan confessing to a range of crimes he didn’t do and a few that he might have, while James Cruikshank also makes some of his scenes as Gaspode the dog stand out with a belligerent wit, albeit one which might have benefitted from being featured a little less in the script.
Alex Card (Carrot), Alice Pelan (Angua), Grace Gilbert (Baroness) and Caitlin Carter (Wofgang). Pic Robin Mair Photography.
Dug Campbell provides music that sets the scene well. alongside Beatrice Nicol’s lighting and sound operation from Em Leites McPherson.
Overall there is much to recommend in the show and a lot that lands superbly, but the drawn-out nature of the script and limitations on set design mean it was always going to be a challenge to maintain energy and excitement over three and a half hours, and the production isn’t quite slick enough to defeat this.
Running time: Three hours and 35 minutes (including two intervals)
Pleasance Theatre, 60 Pleasance, EH8 9TJ.
Thursday 4 – Sunday 7 Dec 2025
Thurs – Sat: 7.30pm; Sat/Sun 2.30pm.
Tickets and details: Book here.
Strawmoddie Website: www.strawmoddietheatre.company.
Facebook: @strawmoddie.
Instagram: @strawmoddie/
James Cruickshank (Gaspode). Pic Robin Mair Photography.
ENDS
