My son, Sam, and I were thrilled to have been invited to the Altrincham Garrick Playhouse to spend an evening watching this hugely entertaining and funny play. Full disclosure, I was a big fan of the original Radio 4 series that inspired this stage adaptation, so my hopes were set high. There is something quintessentially British about the combination of the surrealist, gag-filled scripts from writer Mark Evans and their gentle parodying of all things Victorian that just invokes a knitted tea cosy and a plate of hot, buttered crumpets.
How to describe the plot of Bleak Expectations? Basically, take every Dickensian Sunday night telly adaptation you’ve ever seen, pop them all in a blender, add a liberal splash of absolute nonsense and, hey presto! Roughly speaking the story follows the highs, lows, highs again, lows again (ad infinitum) of Pip Bin as narrated by his future self. Over the course of 2 and a half hours Pip is befallen by all the usual tropes of the genre. He is bereaved, imperilled, impoverished (twice), befriended by a kind-hearted imbecile, incarcerated, rescued (thrice) and ultimately betrothed to his erstwhile nursemaid. All standard 19th century melodramatic fare really.
Director, Pete Brassington, is also clearly a big fan of the source material and this shows in the reverence he pays to the anarchy. The action was well paced, and the jokes were well timed which is no mean feat given the sheer volume of material in the script. He has clearly worked hard with the actors to emulate the feel of the original radio series whilst allowing them enough leeway to bring out their own unique characterisations.
The staging was simple but effective with a wall of hand painted flats providing the multifunctional backdrop showing a combination of leather-bound volumes and loose folios making the connection to the play’s literary origins. Look closely and the book covers contain enough easter eggs of faux Dickens titles to keep the audience chuckling away to themselves. Lighting was used well to transition from scene to scene with cutaways back to the narrator’s chair providing an effective distraction to cover most scene changes. Sound effects and voice overs added humorous texturing and helped tether the play to its radio roots whilst the props department did a fantastic job of bringing the world into three dimensions with cartoonish glee.
If I was being super picky there were a couple of aspects of the staging that I felt could be ‘even better if…’ The first was the sound. The Garrick is not a large venue and so it’s totally understandable and justifiable to not have the actors wear head mics. However, if this is a choice you make, even in a smaller venue, then you have to be confident that every actor can project consistently and effectively. I would say about half the cast managed this flawlessly. The others turned in super performances but would have been helped enormously by either wearing a head mic or alternatively more time spent on projection and diction.
The second was the odd occasion when the stage crew was visible in the scene changes. I am not sure if this was an issue with lighting cues due to opening night or if this was an active choice. If the former then I’m sure this will improve as the run continues, if the latter I would urge the team to reconsider this for future performances. There is little more jarring for the audience than to have the stage crew moving scenery in plain sight. There is ample opportunity with this play to either use the cast to help with scene transitions or (if needs be) give the stage crew a few bustles and frock coats and blend them into the action. If scenery must be moved without the cover of darkness then it should be incorporated in some way into the action otherwise it plays havoc with suspension of disbelief.
Ultimately, however, the success of a play like this relies massively on the quality of the performances and this very strong cast did not disappoint.
Robert Crumpton gave a confident and assured performance as Sir Philip Bin and put the audience at ease from his very first glass of scotch. Ros Greenwood and Hugh Everett as Agnes and Thomas Bin both showed their great skill for physical comedy (Hugh’s pratfalls had my son in pleats) as well as their lively characterisations switching effortlessly between their multiple personalities. Luke O’Hara was expertly cast and extremely proficient as our hero Pip and turned in a performance worthy of any pro. Ella Muscroft played the woe begotten damsel in distress and proto-feminist activist Pippa Bin demonstrating yet more effortless physical comedy aided by her not very portable anvil. Fiona Primrose was excellent as the saintly Poppy Bin in Act 1 and the deformed nymphomaniac Ripely Fecund in Act 2. Her letter reading about randy otters was an absolute hoot! Tim Cooper played the empty-headed sidekick Harry Biscuit with aplomb and the swan denouement in Act 2 was a particular highlight. Jonathan Higgs provided some great moustache twirling Machiavellianism with his suitably villainous (yet ironically named) Mr Gently Benevolent. Rob Clyne turned in an Alec-Guiness-worthy shift as the entire Hardthrasher family and finally Meg Brassington delivered some admirable character work as the deliciously named Skinflint Parsimonious and Broadly Fecund.
Every single performance was worthy of note, but special recognition has to go to Luke O’Hara, Fiona Primrose and Tim Cooper who truly sparkled.
Final point on staging was the very inventive way that the lead character’s leg brace was woven into the narrative. I’m guessing some unfortunate orthopaedic mishap late in the rehearsal process meant that Luke O’Hara had to wear a corrective boot throughout the play but this in no way hindered his performance and its inclusion was so deftly handled by the cast and creative team that I was genuinely second guessing myself as to whether it was actually in the script.
A hearty “Harrumble!” to you all (IYKYK).
Bleak expectations runs until Sat 4h October 2025 at Altrincham Garrick Playhouse with tickets available at Booking | Altrincham Garrick.
Reviewer: Dan Grimes
Reviewed: 29th September 2025
North West End UK Rating: