★★★✰✰
As Charles Dickens once said: “There is nothing in the world so irresistibly contagious as laughter and good humour” and Mark Evans’ delightfully silly stage adaptation of his award-winning radio comedy Bleak Expectations proves just that.
This Dickensian spoof relishes in its half-sardonic half-loving mockery of one of British literature’s most distinct voices. Even if you haven’t read one of his books before, you will likely be familiar with some of his main thematic interests: want, exploitation, crime, abuse, and corruption to name but a few.
The prevailing bleakness of 19th-century England was punctuated by Dickens’ use of caricature and ironic character names. From Miss Havisham mirroring the corruption of wealth in a male-dominated society to Thomas Gradgrind as an exaggeration of unrelenting utilitarianism. His signature nominative determinism and firm focus on societal injustice have immortalized his works, leading to countless stage and screen adaptations, retellings, and parodies.
Bleak Expectations is the latest installment of the latter category. It follows narrator Sir Philip Bin as he recounts his life story, from youthful innocence to the pain and trauma of hardship, loss, and grief as he battles through adulthood. All seems joyous enough at first in the Bin household, with young Pip (Dom Hodson) gleefully skipping across the stage with his two sisters Pippa and Poppy (Serena Manteghi and Rachel Summers) while his mum and dad (Ashh Blackwood and Shane David-Joseph) lovingly embrace in a sophisticated hand-hold. However, when his father is suspiciously killed by penguins while on imperial business, Pip is sent to St Bastard’s boarding school by his guardian Gently Benevolent (John Hopkins).
In blatant mockery of Dickensian titles, he is the dastardly villain of our story who intends to make young Pip’s life as utterly bleak as possible. What follows is a ferocious onslaught of gags, hysterical outbursts, and physical comedy as our young hero navigates a world so surreal and feverish that you feel well and truly in the epoch of incredulity.
Each member of the main cast bustles with frenetic energy, making the first minutes of the show a touch disorientating. All of a sudden you are thrown into this mad Victorian world which is running at 1,000 miles per hour. Character exposition, jokes, gags, and slapstick are all thrown at you at once and it’s difficult to keep up with what’s going on. Luckily, brief periods of repose are offered by various interjections from our narrator. This role is to be played by a different guest star every week across its West End run. This week saw actress and comedian Sally Phillips donning a moustache and top hat embodying all the posh and sophisticated airs of your typical Victorian gentlemen. Her sections are riddled with audacious similes, each guaranteeing a huge belly laugh from the audience.
As you adjust yourself to the unadulterated madness unfolding on stage, you start to fully appreciate the individual hilarity of our endearing cast. Marc Pickering is hysterical as the four Hardthrasher siblings, showcasing impeccable characterization through various wacky facial expressions and hysterical outbursts, joyously milking every line for its worth. J.J Henry as the hyperactive and child-like Harry Biscuits also summons fits of laughter from the audience, with his touching displays of loyalty and warmth bringing a unique heart-warming element to the play.
Sadly, not all expectations are met. Where the play lets itself down is its lack of subtlety when touching upon some of the social issues related to the era. The show is bitter and relentless in its commentary on 19th-century misogyny, from a jarring outburst of “bloody patriarchy” to a minute speech from one of the sisters about women’s futures. Rather than presenting messages of female empowerment and gender injustice in a comedic way, you’re suddenly yanked out from the light-hearted comedic farce and forced to endure what feels like incessant preaching.
While sometimes on-the-nose and it may take you a while to warm up to the silliness, Bleak Expectations still offers a wild farcical romp into the world of Dickens perfect for anyone who enjoys a laid-back style of comedy.
Words by Katie Heyes
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