Great
Expectations
By Charles
Dickens
Adapted by John
Clifford
Lyceum Theatre
Sheffield – 25/1/06
Northern Stage’s Great Expectations
begins with a torn curtain upon which
is projected a short video, beautifully
filmed, of the young Pip's first
meeting with the convict, Magwitch. Elegantly
shot in black and white it
gives the audience great expectations
indeed of what is to come.
Unfortunately these expectations are
swiftly dashed as Mark Lloyd's playing
of Magwitch seems to
come from the Coronation
Street school of acting, all
mock gurning but with no real depth.
His features remind you of a young
Oliver Reed and perhaps he therefore
seems the perfect choice for the role.
Unfortunately he has none of the fire
or grace of Oliver and is therefore just
an actor on stage where a true
character should be.
Matt Blair, on the other hand, playing
both the narrator and the elder Pip is
restrained, confidant and undoubtedly
the best actor on stage. He is one of
the few actors in this production that
seems to bring an emotional depth to
his characterisation and seems to
realise just what a wonderful play this
should be. Peter Peverley also plays
the young Pip rather well, although
perversely is blessed with a much older
looking face than Mr. Blair, which
perhaps shows us the importance of
casting, if nothing else.
A lot of time is spent developing the
relationship between Pip and his
friend and step-father Joe. (What Larks
Pip!) This is the most successful
section of the play and Mark Calvert as
Joe has much to offer this
production. His playing of the part is
finely judged and exceptionally warm.
He is one of those actors that
audiences
instinctively like.
It is a shame then that so many of the
other performances are one
dimensional, in particular those of Sue
Maund as Miss Haversham and Julia
Dalkin as Estella, Whether this is down
to their interpretations, or, as I
suspect, inadequacies of the script is
down to your own judgement but both
characters fall surprisingly flat given
their importance in the scheme of
things.
Rachel Dale as Biddy, Pip's first
romantic interest, is particularly good,
however, and brings a yearning and
stoicism to the role that particularly
holds your attention. Unfortunately she
appears, not only more attractive
than Estella, but also more
intelligent, charming, witty and fundamentally
more alive, which does leave the
audience seriously questioning Pip’s
taste in
women.
There is a beauty to the stage craft
which should also be noted as a positive
for the production. Several things
stand out, like using upturned beds to
represent graves or the beginning of
the second half which reminds you of
a Gene Kelly montage
from Singing in the Rain or American in
Paris. The
continued use of video projection
throughout is also very engaging,
surprising and
effective.
Unfortunately, the final
scenes are woefully flat, however, and leave the
audience with a real sense of
anti-climax. There is no tension and no
sense of tragedy, which is a real
shame. The blank faces of the audience
members as they left the theatre told
the story of a play that will now only be
remembered as a missed opportunity,
rather than another glorious night at
the theatre for Charles Dickens.
(Funnily enough Simon Callow
impersonating Dickens and telling this
story on his own would probably
have made for a better
night).
Written by Paul Tyree www.paultyree.co.uk
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