It’s hard not to have great expectations of a staged version of Charles Dickens’ “Great Expectations.”
The much-loved novel by the master storyteller is full of unforgettable characters and rich imagery.
That did not daunt The Rogue Theatre, whose current offering is Jo Clifford’s adaptation of “Great Expectations.”
The coming-of-age story is about young, impoverished Pip who longs for a standing in society: he wants to be a gentleman. Not an easy or inexpensive thing to do in Victorian age London. In his journey, he is exposed to the ugliness of society, the dismissal of those considered less than, and injustice. His great expectation is that if he becomes a gentleman, the world will be his. He has some hard lessons in store.
The production, insightfully directed by Christopher Johnson, is dark and funny and disturbing.
Dickens filled the novel with characters that fascinate and horrify. There is Pip (a spot-on Hunter Hnat who showed the character’s longing and evolution beautifully), who starts out as a young boy in a harsh household and grows into a gentleman in a harsh world. Mrs. Joe is Pip’s cruel sister whose face seems to twist with every word she spews (Gretchen Wirges dove into the role and she was perfect). Her husband, Joe, is the village blacksmith with a deep affection for Pip — it’s likely the only reason he stays with the cruel Mrs. Joe. He is a kind man — the most sympathetic character in the story — and Matt Walley is a mixture of innocence and tenderness in the role, making us feel deeply for his plight and hope for his eventual happiness.
Perhaps one of the most famous characters from the story is Miss Havisham, who wanders her cobwebbed house dressed in a tattered wedding gown, which she has refused to take off since she was a young woman abandoned at the altar. Cynthia Meier somehow made the gothic character sympathetic without ever sparing us of her cruelty and manipulation.
Her adopted daughter, Estella, was brought up to mistrust men and to treat them dismissively — good revenge for Miss Havisham’s treatment by the male sex. Bryn Booth owned the character’s arrogance and spiteful attitude; she made Estella almost cringe-worthy in her unkindness.
This production moved swiftly and easily held the audience’s attention. But by dwindling down Dickens 500 pages to a two-hour play, Clifford abandoned some nuance and emotional depth that gave the novel such weight.
However, Dickens was so brilliant that even a toned-down version of the story doesn’t disappoint. And this production does not, as well.
The Rogue Theatre’s production of “Great Expectations” runs through Nov. 20 at The Rogue Theatre, 300 E. University Blvd. Tickets are $42.
For reservations or more information, visit theroguetheatre.org or call 520-551-2053.
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