GREAT EXPECTATIONS. To 4 April.
Mold Tour.
GREAT EXPECTATIONS
by Charles Dickens adapted by Tim Baker.
Clwyd Theatr Cymru (Emlyn Williams Theatre) To 7 March.
Mon-Sat 7.45pm Mat Sat 2.45pm.
Audio-described 5 March.
Talkback 5 March.
Runs: 2hr 40min - One interval.
TICKETS: 0845 330 3565.
www.clwyd-theatr-cymru.co.uk
Touring details – see below.
Review: Stoon Barar 28 February 2009.
Expectations met – and magically exceeded for the first hour
I love atmospheric, moody theatre that instantly plonks you straight into another place, another time…a fantasy world populated with perfect casting and performances, rounded off with a darkish, leftfield setting. And for the first hour that’s what we get here in Tim Baker’s vision of Dickens’ London - plus songs.
Fear not; there’s no cheery Artful Dodger picking pockets or Nancy ‘n’ Bill sharing a tender moment. This show shares the chilling lifeblood that coursed through Tim Burton’s 2007 film Sweeney Todd. The tone’s set by Greg Palmer’s ivory tinkling - ghostly simple, deadly effective. Equally important is Nick Beadle’s lighting; candles line the front of the stage – well burnt, glowing from the flame deep within. Occasional understage lighting floods through the black floorboards, bringing rays of light into this dark world.
The entire cast is onstage throughout; those not involved sit in a row at the back as onlookers, occasionally registering facial movements in response to events, as if sitting in mute judgment.
After an hour or so, there’s an introduction of humanity. The comparative warmth (tweeness even) of proceedings is welcome, if overlong, as it draws the first act to its conclusion. Act two is a lighter shade, opening with an upbeat lyrical offering. It’s much more conventional too, with shades of a BBC Sunday afternoon serialization; less satisfying maybe, but there’s reams of narrative to get through.
The cast are uniformly excellent, notably Steven Meo’s Pip and Vivien Parry as Miss Havisham. Meo brings his narrative speeches a “Hornblower” style of youthful wisdom and awareness, contrasting beautifully his ignorance and subservience as the downtrodden Pip. She is the most ghostly vision of decayed rejection imaginable – quite literally the Corpse Bride. Her exchanges with Estella (Eleanor Howell) are coldly magical.
Purists may bemoan the omission of chunks of the novel or the unsuitability of Tim Baker’s lyrics. But that misses the point. This isn’t about attention to plot detail, it’s about creating a sense of the age, about the underlying sentiments - the rewards that stem from a kind heart. On these fronts, Baker rewards the viewer fully.
Magwitch: Graham Bickley.
Estella: Eleanor Howell.
Pip: Steven Meo.
Mrs Joe/Biddy: Rhiannon Oliver.
Miss Havisham: Vivien Parry.
Jaggers/Compeyson: Robert Perkins.
Joe/Wemmick: Steffan Rhodri.
Herbert: Simon Watts.
Musical Director and Pianist: Greg Palmer.
Director: Tim Baker.
Designer: Mark Bailey.
Lighting: Nick Beadle.
Sound: Kevin Heyes.
Composer: Dyfan Jones.
Song Lyrics: Tim Baker.
Dialect Coach: Sally Hague.
Choregrapher: Rachel Catherall.
Fight director: Kevin McCurdy.
2009-03-03 02:26:57