Theatre review: Great Expectations

After last week’s debacle I was hoping the other show alternating in the National Youth Theatre’s rep at Southwark Playhouse would actually give the young people it’s meant to be showcasing something to work with; and while on paper I’m not a great fan of Charles Dickens, Great Expectations proves a much more successful evening. In stark contrast to Frankenstein tying itself in knots, Neil Bartlett streamlines Dickens’ story of social climbing and a poor young boy given a glimpse of a world (and a girl) he’s not willing to say goodbye to. Its children may not be quite as blatantly abused as in other Dickens books but in Great Expectations they’re very much a commodity to be handed around at adults’ whims – Pip (Joseph Payne) begins the story as an orphan in the care of his sister, and the most exciting event of his life was discovering the escaped convict Magwitch (Jemima Mayala) in the marshes and helping him.

A local woman was driven insane after being left at the altar, but she’s very rich so she’s allowed to audition children to play for her amusement, and she takes a shine to Pip; he in turn is smitten with her adopted daughter Estella (Alice Franziska,) despite the fact that she’s so cruel he’s convinced she was raised specifically to break men’s hearts in revenge.

When, in his late teens, Pip is left an inheritance by an anonymous benefactor, he assumes it’s the spinster and becomes obsessed with the idea that it’s all been a plan to eventually see him married to his beloved Estella. Dickens is of course known for creating eccentrics but the way Bartlett, director Mumba Dodwell and the cast view them goes beyond eccentricity and straight to what is probably a more accurate depiction of the characters: They’re a bunch of fucking weirdos, either abusing their power or masking their insecurities through verbal and physical tics. So we start with Pip’s sister (Jadie Rose Hobson,) constantly berating Pip and her mild-mannered husband (Jordan Ford Silver,) while sucking up to the oleaginous Mr Pumblechook (Jamie Foulkes) and Mr Wopsle (Sarah Lusack,) who’s keen to take part in every conversation but has absolutely nothing to say so just repeatedly says “Amen” after anyone speaks.

Guy Clark’s Mr Jaggers is a lawyer stricken down with empathy for the disadvantaged but so determined to appear impartial he’s cut himself off from all emotion, and his skittish clerk (Sonny Poon Tip) is terrified of him. Most famous of all the novel’s eccentrics is of course the spinster herself, and Tiwalade Ibirogba Olulode plays Miss Havisham with staring eyes and a huge, rictus smile at odds with the cruelty she spits at anyone who gets too close to her.

However well-known the story there’s always going to be someone who’s fresh to it, so for anyone who goes in unaware of the real identity of Pip’s benefactor, the way Bartlett’s cut the story down to the essentials means the very fact that Magwitch has appeared earlier on is a bit of a giveaway. The briskness of the story also means there’s a few plot holes, but even so I’d rather have a story pared down than bloated, and Bartlett’s narrative device of having the minor characters chip in to Pip’s narration means we get a bit more colour to their personalities. Dodwell’s production relies on a lot of frantic movement from the ensemble, which along with cues from Tom Gimson’s sound and Clare O’Donoghue’s lighting contribute to the feel of a queasy, disorientating Gothic nightmare – what’s probably most satisfying about the show is that it isn’t quite the Great Expectations that usually makes it onto the stage or screen.

Great Expectations by Neil Bartlett, based on the novel by Charles Dickens, is booking in repertory until the 28th of November at Southwark Playhouse’s Large Theatre.

Running time: 2 hours 15 minutes including interval.

Photo credit: Ali Wright.