Westacre Theatre performs Bleak Expectations and the audience reaction is great, says reviewer Jenny Beake

Imagine a play filled with hilarious characters in Victorian costume and a group of actors with perfect comic timing and your expectations will not be bleak but greatly met.

Westacre Theatre company performed the opening night of Bleak Expectations at the award-winning venue in the outside auditorium next to the lake.

Audience members thoroughly enjoyed the farce and humour in Mark Evans’ comedy based on parodies of Charles Dickens’ works.

The hilarious production is directed by David Connor who also narrates the action which sees Pip Bin and his siblings’ lives ‘bitterly dismantled’ in Act I and ‘happily restored’ in Act II.

Bursary students who stay for the summer to create, act in and work backstage and in the bar are extremely talented and take their performances to the next level.

I have seen them in a range of productions that the ‘secret gem’ of a theatre presents and the standard is ten out of ten every time.

Their performances in Bleak Expectations relied on high energy pace and fast action with hilarious moments as Dickens fans recognise stories and plots are exaggerated.

Character Pip Bin (Isaac Franklin) actually invents the bin in the play, ending up in court against Trashcan (Edith Stewart) and all of the scenes are just hilarious throughout the show.

Familiar charactonyms such as Gently Benevolent, Skinflint Parsimonious and The Hardthrashers make fun of the way Dickens wrote books such as Great Expectations, A Christmas Carol and Bleak House.

As usual, the company performed with expertise and professionalism including Helen Spacie’s perfect acting, Emma Smith showing great versatility and Abigail Kirkwood really shining.

Physical comedy came in the form of Jonny Mills whose slapstick rapport with Isaac Franklin was a joy to watch.

The theatre has big plans to expand its seating and needs to raise millions in order to secure its future and has started a crowdfunder.

If you have never been to the riverside site before then Bleak Expectations may be a good play to see to start with and I guarantee your exceptions will not be bleak.

The run continues until August 24.

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