Great Expectations stage adaptation at Cinema Nouveau

For the first time, the Charles Dickens classic novel Great Expectations has been staged in London's famous West End. Theatre buffs can see a screening at Cinema Nouveau theatres and Ster-Kinekor Blue Route in Tokai, Cape Town, on 11 and 12 September only.

Great Expectations is one of the most popular novels by Charles Dickens, who is regarded as one of the English language's greatest and most prolific writers. It has previously been explored on television, the cinema, a musical, and numerous theatre adaptations since its original publication 150 years ago. However, although Great Expectations has been adapted for film on two separate occasions - once by renowned director David Lean in 1946 and most recently by Mike Newell, remarkably it has never been produced as a full-length play for the stage in either London's West End or on New York's famous Broadway. This is due to the fact that the complex story was widely believed to be too difficult to translate into a stage version.

A theatrical triumph

However, this Jo Clifford adaptation of Dickens' classic novel has been universally acclaimed as a theatrical triumph during its sell-out tour of the UK and during its West End debut. Directed by Graham Maclaren, this "outstanding", "haunting" and "utterly brilliant" production brings some of the most memorable fictional characters ever created to life.

They are magnificently portrayed by a stellar cast: the beautiful, chilling Estella (Grace Rowe), the terrifying convict Magwitch (Chris Ellison), the manipulative Jaggers (Jack Ellis), the tragic and mysterious Miss Havisham (Paula Wilcox), and Pip looking back on his young self (Taylor Jay-Davies) as a boy with "great expectations". The filming of this momentous event was the culmination of the international Dickens bicentenary celebrations and follows the play's highly acclaimed UK tour. Taylor Jay-Davies makes a lively, eager Young Pip, while Chris Ellison is a slightly underpowered Magwitch, James Vaughan a vivid, theatrical Wopsle (and a lovely Wemmick, too) and Rhys Warrington a bright-eyed Pocket who dances along Miss Havisham's mantelpiece like a festive fairy.

Sacrificing narrative pressure and clarity

The adaptation by Scottish playwright Jo Clifford (first made 30 years ago) is a model of its kind, but it does suffer from sacrificing narrative pressure and clarity, and true Dickensian sentiment, for a different kind of pot pourri "European" style. That style, at least, is well honoured in McLaren's production, the lividly luxuriant design of Robin Peoples, the lighting of Kai Fischer and the Slavic-sounding music of Simon Slater.

Broadcast in stunning high definition from The Vaudeville Theatre in London, the cinema experience includes the full red carpet treatment, as well as exclusive "behind the scenes" footage and interviews with both the cast and crew. This production of Great Expectations has a running time of the performance is 2hr 25mins, including an interval.

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