Great Expectations

5 stars

My week began this Monday with Great Expectations. I was richly rewarded by a play that was wonderfully acted and brought to life the world of Pip, Miss Havisham and Magwitch.

For those of you unfamiliar with the plot, it follows the life of Pip, an adopted blacksmith’s son. Pip, whilst mourning for his dead parents, meets Magwitch, an escaped convict, for whom he steals food and tools. At the same time, a capricious misandrist Miss Havisham, brilliantly portrayed by Tiwalade Ibirogba-Olulode, takes an interest in Pip as a companion for her protégé Estella. Pip is suddenly swept out of his poor station in life by a mysterious benefactor with the announcement that he has Great Expectations. The plot unfolds from there: those with any interest should watch this play. It was fantastic.

In his journey Pip, played by Joseph Payne, meets a colourful assortment of Dickensian characters that each member of the cast captures perfectly. Jamie Foulkes is the simpering Mr Pumblechook, Alice Franziska is the cold and cruel Estella and Guy Clark presents what I can only describe as the most lawyerly lawyer I have ever seen on stage or screen. The cast portrayed each caricature perfectly in true Dickensian fashion. Each member of the cast worked to capture the excitement and mystery of the plot capturing the audience in the world of Victorian London, now the sinister dark marshes, now Miss Havisham’s decrepit abode.

The set was very minimal, the staging unusual. The stage was in a narrow, long corridor between two stands. The proximity of the audience to the action gave the production an intimate air which helped with imagining the space as it transformed from street to graveyard. Miss Havisham was granted an elaborate wheelchair in which Ibirogba-Olulode slumped imperiously. The cast, when Pip was lost in reverie, whispered from the darkness of the end as an atmospheric chorus, perfectly rehearsed and choreographed.

In the midst of it all Pip, narrated his life’s events in an excellent use of the source material, with a wonderful ability to convince the audience of his character’s age and station. He evolved from frightened seven-year-old boy to confident London dandy before our very eyes. A striking performance.

Overall, a stunning show from the young actors at the National Youth Theatre REP season. Ian McEwan made a surprise appearance in the audience - I’m sure he agreed.