Review: Great Expectations // Villanova Players

 

Written by Jake Goodall

Set in the early 1800s, welcome to one of Dickens' most famous novels brought to life by Villanova Players at the Ron Hurley Theatre. This classic tale had audience laughing with traditional quips and jokes left right and centre, perfect for the older demographic to relive their youth. 

Great Expectations follows the childhood and young adult years of Pip, a blacksmith's apprentice in a country village. He suddenly comes into a large fortune (his great expectations) from a mysterious benefactor and moves to London where he enters high society. Written by Charles Dickens and adapted for the stage by Janys Chambers, this is a story full of amazing characters, from a poor rural village to the heights of London society and all places in between.

This bare production utilises very basic set pieces with wooden chairs, a table and some blackened platforms. This multi layered set allowed for great depth and adaptability for the production to showcase different areas. 

An interesting choice was to start the production with a video showcasing the 2024 season, this video could have played prior to the show starting as it detracted greatly from the audience engagement of the start of the show. In addition a questionable choice was the use of projection to emulate back drops for each place setting. Some backdrops such as Miss Haversham's home are extremely detailed and meticulously created, in contrast the majority of the other back drops were plain and simple which didn't add to the production, the production could have succeed without the use of projection. 

Direction by Jill Cross was simple and minimal, the blocking was natural throughout most of the production however on occasion was a little jilted. There were times where the blocking was extremely static, this could have been chosen to focus on the character's and their stories however did not translate the best. 

Whilst technical elements in this production could have been investigated more, where it shines is the talent and expertise of the performers. Lachlan Gregory Hugh as Pip was a star in this production, Hugh gave the awkwardness this character needed. Additionally commendation to Hugh for learning an insane amount lines throughout this production, Hugh rarely left the stage through the entire 2 hour show. Opposite Hugh was Emily Summer as the hard hitting Estella, Summer portrayed this character perfectly with the coldness Estella needed. Linda Stevenson as Miss Havisham was stunning, Stevenson showcased this jilted women with ease, providing the high status lady controlling the underlings. 

However the true star of this production was Lia Surrentino and Desley Nichols' costuming, their impressive needle work provided the audience with stunning dresses, tailored suits and beautiful jewelry. Specifically creating the upper and lower classes through colour and fit was a commendable choice. 

Whilst there were some elements that could have been developed further, Great Expectations by Villanova players was a great production supported by a talented cast and crew. This production was clearly an enjoyable experience for those in the community familiar with Dickens' work