The Crescent Theatre in Birmingham is one of my favourite theatre venues- the range of productions they put on is amazing and the fact that they have their own in-house company that act in and direct the shows as well as run front of house really impresses me. On Saturday night I went to see Great Expectations. Admittedly it's not a play I would have chosen to see but one of my close friends was in it and I really wanted to support her and give it a go. Despite it being a classic piece of literature I didn't know the story so I really had no expectations (prepare yourself for a lot of puns) but it's fair to say I was pleasantly surprised.
It was a large cast who often sat around the edge of the stage providing sound effects, creating a soundscape with their voices and in places narrating the story which was one of my favourite elements- it really brought the play to life and the sounds made me feel immersed in the story and the setting. The set was very minimal which allowed for very fast transitions from scene to scene. This kept the pace and story moving so I was never left waiting for something to happen. Unfortunately I found the story slightly baffling in places, but I guess that was Dickens' style, and it didn't stop me enjoying the production as a whole. I thought the whole cast was very strong and it was refreshing to enjoy a classic play rather than a musical for a change.
Great Expecations runs at the Crescent Theatre until Saturday 7th November and you can get tickets here. It's a really reasonably priced trip out and is definitely worth a watch.
No comments
Post a Comment