Theatre / Reviews
Review: Great Expectations, Arnos Vale – ‘Enjoyable and engaging, but a little uneven’
The chapel at Arnos Vale Cemetery is an unbeatable setting for this Red Rope Theatre staging of Dickens’ coming-of-age classic, Great Expectations.
Moments before our protagonist stumbles through a graveyard in the opening scene, I too creep past weeping angels and towering tombstones as I enter the venue. You couldn’t ask for a more immersive location.
Atop the cobwebby, candlelit altar is a giant ivy-choked wedding cake. This is the meticulous scenic handiwork of Sophie Land who, fittingly, is also a freelance wedding designer. It feels like we’re all guests of honour at the rotting wedding breakfast of the archetypal jilted bride: Miss Havisham.
Memorable incarnations of an unhinged Havisham from Helena Bonham Carter and Olivia Colman loom large in my mind, and they’re tough acts to follow.
Here, Rebecca Robson delivers brilliant moments of madness as Havisham, but a touch more intensity, frailty — and perhaps even a bridal veil — would strengthen the portrayal. Distractingly, she also multi-roles as both Mrs Joe Gargery and Herbert Pocket, a choice that feels too ambitious without clearer differentiation between the parts. I craved more from Havisham.
Meanwhile, Danann McAleer, who directed the company’s production of A Christmas Carol in 2022, is captivating as both Magwitch, the fearsome convict, and the benevolent uncle, Joe Gargery. The foil works beautifully as McAleer skilfully switches between accents and contrasting postures.
The other standout performance is Georgina Russell as Estella, who completed her Masters at Bristol Old Vic Theatre School in 2023. Russell shines as the cruel and inaccessible young girl, often swanning into the chapel aisle.
This use of space represents a creative but also challenging decision from director Harry Gould. The audience cranes their necks as actors move between the grassy platform in the gangway and the altar area. Committing to either an in-the-round format or keeping the action at the front might have offered a more practical configuration.
Some sound and design wrinkles cause the pre-taped background music sometimes to obfuscate the spoken word, and at least one unlucky audience member suffers the glare of an orange light in their eyes during certain scenes.
The pacing of this production is a little uneven, as the first act smoulders while the second half feels rushed. The duration exceeds the billed two-hour runtime by about 30 minutes.
That said, despite a few opening-week teething problems, Red Rope have created an enjoyable and engaging adaptation of the beloved tale. By all means, pull up a seat at this gothic feast. But a warning to those with an appetite to hear more from our host, Miss Havisham: they may be leaving a little hungry.
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Red Rope Theatre presents: Great Expectations by Charles Dickens, at Arnos Vale on November 4-29 at 7.30pm. Tickets are available at www.arnosvale.org.uk.
All photos: Craig Fuller
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