Great Expectations - Playground Theatre
Preview by Lizzie Guilfoyle
THEATRE Lab Company is presenting Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations at the Playground Theatre. Adapted by Lydia Vie and directed by Anastasia Revi, it runs from December 15 to December 29, 2019.
Everyone in this story had great expectations: betterment, revenge, love, fortune, redemption, freedom. It all started with a beautiful young bride, in love, on her wedding day, many years before. The wedding never happened. The clocks stopped at twenty to nine on that ill fated day at Satis House, and she has a story to tell.
How did the ecstasy of love turn into a pursuit for revenge? Why did Pip, a young orphan, long to be a gentleman? How did a convict find freedom and redemption? How did a beautiful young girl grow up without a heart? How were they all victims of great expectations?
Back and forth through the lives of Miss Havisham, Pip and Estella, the mysteries of Satis House are unravelled, and the stories of Dickens’ famous and much loved characters unfold.
The cast includes Helen Bang (as Miss Havisham), Samuel Lawrence (Pip), Denise Moreno (Estella), David Furlong (Jaggers), Peter Rae (Magwitch), Matthew Wade (Joe Gargery), Fanny Dulin (Mrs Joe/Molly) and Shaun Amos (Herbert Pocket).
Theatre Lab Company, the creators of the applauded production of Jamaica Inn are known for dynamic, daring and visually stunning work, and at the same time, creating accessible and engaging theatre for a wide audience. Their profile includes classics, devised and musical productions as well as classical and contemporary Greek theatre.
Recent London performances include Molière’s Don Juan at Hoxton Hall, Daphne du Maurier’s Jamaica Inn at Tabard Theatre and Mothers and Lovers and Brecht’s A Respectable Wedding at The Playground Theatre.
Produced by Martina Reynolds, Great Expectations is designed by Eirini Kariori and has lighting by Chuma Emembolu.
Great Expectations is suitable for all ages.
Tickets: £23, £18 concessions. To book, call the box office on 020 8960 0110 or visit theplaygroundtheatre.london/events/great-expectations/.
Times: Nightly at 7.30pm and at 2.30pm on December 18, 21 and 28.
Running Time: 2 hours including interval.