Bleak Expectations

Bleak Expectations by Mark Evans is a pastiche of Great Expectations, Bleak House and various other Dickensian plotlines, told in the form of a Victorian melodrama. Narrated by the greatest living author and businessman, Sir Philip Put-It-In-The Bin, (played on the night I saw it by Matt Wilson), it tells the story of young Philip, known as Pip, and the repeated attempts of his would-be nemesis, Gently Benevolent,  to steal his family fortune, marry his sister, and murder our hero in various unlikely ways. It was based on the long running successful Radio 4 series of the same name. The play was recently a success at the Criterion Theatre, London, and Grantham are one of the first societies to obtain a licence for amateur production.

There is a large cast!!  Particular mention must be made of Briony Sparrow who played heroic young Pip admirably, with suitable manly postures and gestures. Her best friend Harry Biscuit, a dim but resourceful character with an obsession with swans, was hilariously played by Nick Kime.

Pip’s family (mother Agnes played by Joy Wilson, father Thomas Bin by Leigh Matsell), and sisters Pippa and Poppy (played by Aimee Marshall and Carla Hibbit respectively) were all well cast. Daniele Petruzzo played Pip’s benefactor, Skinflint Parsimonious (as well as other minor characters) and Gus Sparrow played a suitably dastardly villain Gently Benevolent. John Webber was cast as a series of evil brothers and a sister, all members of the Hardthrasher family, and Gary Cadwallader played the mysterious Bakewell Havertwitch, who rescued Pip on at least two occasions. Jim Snee acted Broadly Fecund well, and Victoria Dexter was suitably sexually repressed as Ripely Fecund. Nyla Shaw, Sue Taylor, Peter Mole and Gillian Vincent each played a number of minor roles.

Make-up and costumes were good, and my only comment would be that cast should be advised not to wear modern spectacles in a period play. I know that Bleak Expectations is in no way realistic, but you have to pretend that it is a straight play for the comedy to work, and that includes costume detail.

Props were excellent and suitably Victorian, and the set (one set of flats serving throughout the play) was well constructed and painted.

Lighting was good and well-designed. It is difficult for sound technicians and actors to co-ordinate action with sound effect, but it was all admirably synchronized – even the swishing of the cane by Wackwell Hardthrasher on poor Pip’s backside was exactly on time. Well done to Matt Wilson and Robyn Gibson.

The co-directors Lesley Sparrow, Rosemary Gibson and Sophie Read have done a good job in organizing such a large cast in a complex play. Comedy is not necessarily easy to do, but the directions given obviously helped to bring the most out of this spoof melodrama. I would ask some of the cast members, however, to deliver their lines a little more clearly on occasions – sometimes the audience struggled to pick up the odd sentence.

Speaking of the audience, they generally loved the show, laughing and guffawing out loud. At the final curtain my neighbours all commented on how much they had enjoyed it. The Guildhall is a lovely theatre, and the greeting by Nick Elliott and the Front of House staff was welcoming and friendly.

The programme and posters are bright, colorful and informative and I will forward them for entry into the Regional competitions.

So once again an enjoyable evening at the Guildhall, and I thank Grantham Dramatic Society for their invitation and their hospitality.

 

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