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Great Expectations at Derby Theatre Review

Reviewed by Nigel Chester

Derby Theatre has never failed to please its audiences with fabulous talent, both on and off the stage. Last night (3 October 2017) we were there to see Great Expectations.

As the title suggests, it was with Great Expectations that we settled into our seats, there was a buzz in the audience that I haven’t experienced for some little time. The stage was grey and minimal, the lighting dimmed. Suddenly, the atmosphere changed, the audience hushed. The view of the stage is unbroken as the seats are well tiered and a fully immersive experience can be had by all.

How, I wondered, could a stage production possibly convey this classic, coming of age story, which has some of the most well-known settings in literature? I can assure you that they did it with aplomb. Neil Bartlett’s adaptation is sublime, he takes a small company of actors, nine in total and using Dickensian language, gave us a whole rounded experience of theatre at its very best.

There were some very clever couplings of characters, where there was bad, there was good, a key example of this is Pip’s sister Mrs Joe, so believably brought to life by Ella Vale, Mrs Joe is punishingly cruel to her little brother and ward, however, in her role as Biddy, Ella Vale has all the saintly attributes of any loving mother.

Character development was excellent and in spite of the similar costume, it was easy to know who was on stage. Herbert Pocket, a delightful boy, was never to be confused with Compeyson, whose actions had such an influence on Pip’s life, both characters crafted perfectly by Bryn Holding.

Great Expectations has so much to offer to today’s audience, it is a story of domestic violence, physical in Pip’s case, emotional in Estella. The strongest women do so much damage to their charges, the jilted Miss Havisham, a desiccated, bitter woman who, having adopted Estella as an infant, had the opportunity to move her life on and take joy in the child, chose instead, to hollow the very heart out of her and make her incapable of love. Pip, orphaned, catching moments in the forge with brother-in-law Joe, wanted more but he had not been loved enough to understand what responsibility love brings.

On the Derby stage we see it all, the play twists and turn as Dickens intended and our characters grow and learn, the over-arching theme being that of love and forgiveness and speaks to today’s audiences just as much as it did to Dickens’ contemporaries back in the 1860s.

The stage setting is astonishing, we had water, the River Thames was indeed wet and we had fire as a pivotal component – amazing.

Derby Theatre’s fantastic reputation is well deserved, if you know this, then this production of Great Expectations won’t disappoint. If you don’t know Derby Theatre, treat yourself.

Parking is easy, its bar and café offering everything you may need.

Rating: 5/5

Tickets cost from £9.50 to £26.50 (booking fees may apply).

Great Expectations is at Derby Theatre from 29 September to 21 October 2017, for more information or to book tickets visit www.derbytheatre.co.uk or call the box office on 01332 593939.

Derby Theatre, 15 Theatre Walk, St Peter’s Quarter, Derby, DE1 2NF | 01332 593939

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