A review of The Magic of Terry Pratchett, Fringe 2023

Having landed an interview with Marc Burrows, the very writer and comedian who presents The Magic of Terry Pratchett I was absolutely going to go.

Fortunately, I didn’t regret it! There’s a controversial ending, but the audience seemed to go with it. I can certainly testify that the three women in front of me loved every moment, punching the air, whooping, throwing their heads back in delight and otherwise losing themselves in the moment.

That’s right, The Magic of Terry Pratchett is a lecture that provokes that reaction.

Though it’s more of a homage to Terry than a lecture, and it’s funny. I will still use the word lecture because Marc Burrows has slides and a clicker. Man. That makes it a lecture, and it happens in Edinburgh University buildings which, for the Festivals, become the Gilded Balloon Teviot.

The presentation is a curation of Marc’s book of the same name. Yes, you can buy The Magic of Terry Pratchett (or not Amazon) online, but I picked up a signed copy after the show. I can’t promise this will happen to you, but the whole audience got an officially recognised Burrows compiled and very rare Terry Pratchett zine.

The Magic of Terry Pratchett was the first full biography of the great British author ever written, and Burrows abridges^1, his work, playing back highlights to us with humour and flair.

What to expect

With stacked seats and sold-out shows, The Gilded Balloon is a suitable venue for this popular Edinburgh Fringe presentation. Terry Pratchett still has a legion of fans.

Burrows has put in his hard work, however. There’s no sense that The Magic is riding on Pratchett’s coattails. In fact, I first met Marc briefly in person and in real life, not for the email Q&A but while he was flyering outside after Wyrd Sisters by the Avondale Theatre Company.

There are clips, with sound, from TV discussions about Discworld and shows made based on the material. Some of these are hilarious by design, and some are hilarious in reflection – how right-wing media got it wrong.

However, there’s also darkness and a recommendation to watch the uncomfortable Terry Pratchett: Choosing to Die. Sir Terry had Alzheimer’s and was angry about how he was forced to waste away and how others in similar situations also lost their choice. Choosing to Die is about trips to Dignitas in Switzerland and people wanting to know whether they can end their own lives before a disease does it to them.

Vibe and Performance

You’ll be laughing, emotionally open and loving every minute of this Terry Pratchett lovefest, and that’s when the darkness of Alzheimer’s and Dignitas come in. Be prepared, or it’ll ambush you.

Marc Burrows does warn us.

It had to be done; we couldn’t just do Discworld as Sir Terry was more than Discworld. He was so much more.

I’ve not read all of the Pratchett books or even the Discworld books, but I’ve enjoyed each one I have picked up. I’m not a super fan. I’m a fan. I’m an average Terry Pratchett reader and thoroughly enjoyed my time with Marc Burrows as we remembered this talented man together.

The controversial ending I mentioned earlier isn’t Alzheimer’s. Marc Burrows wanted The Magic of Terry Pratchett to be Sir Terry’s show. Using modern technology, the same sort of wizardry that put Carrie Fisher as a young Leia back into Star Wars, we hear Pratchett as Pratchett for the lecture’s final moments. Not everyone will agree that was right, but Pratchett’s friends are sure the author would have approved.

Overall

The Magic of Terry Pratchett is a slam dunk must for any reader of Pratchett. Furthermore, you can and should bring your non-Pratchett-savvy friends to the lecture.

The show is surprisingly poignant, with difficult subjects tackled with sensitivity and controversial choices made for, I think, the better.

¹ – There’s even a follow-up Footnotes lecture.