Bleak Expectations - Altrincham Garrick

Dickens with a difference - Bleak Expectations.

THERE are some memorable performances to enjoy in this send up of all things Dickensian, with all the actors displaying an exemplary comedy timing and seemingly boundless energy.

While there are funny bits, genuine belly laughs are thin on the ground in Mark Evans’ script.

Certain visual gags are also repeated, make them lose their comic impact, with a string of characters falling on their backside.

This is a hugely talented cast and I would like to see just what they could have done with better material.

As Pip Bin, I suppose you could call him the hero of the piece, Luke O’Hara delivers a performance that is ideal for a professional stage and it’s impossible not to warm to Tim Cooper as Pip’s school friend Harry Biscuit.

There’s a natural camaraderie between Pip and his ally.

Watching this tale made me feel like I was watching a panto for grown ups at times, as the play gives a substantial nod to two iconic novels, Bleak House and Great Expectations.

When I say ‘adult pantomime’ I’m not using the phrase in the smutty sense but for me the funniest lines come courtesy of a character who can turn in her fertile imagination the most mundane of acts into something with more sensual overtones.

Fiona Primrose is perfectly cast as Pip’s sister Poppy - Evans loves word play - and Hugh Everett is outstanding as Thomas Bin.

Director Pete Brassington ensures his is a production with plenty of pace and both he and the cast have a natural aptitude for comedy, a genre needed as never before, in our troubled and tormented world.

Until October 4. Tickets are available from 0161 928 1677 or www.altrinchamgarrick.co.uk.

Star rating - ***

Photo by Martin Ogden.