The King’s Senior School production of ‘Bleak Expectations’ was a glorious celebration of English humour. Anything but bleak, the show was full of brilliant bravado and masterful comic interludes.
Directed by Donald Forbes and Olivia Soutter, the riotous plot proved the perfect vehicle for the young thespians to test their dramatic range. With a more than a satirical nod to Dickens’ tendency towards the melodramatic, the show was part Goons and part Monty Python with a liberal sprinkle of Ricky Gervais.
The production starring King’s talented young thespians aged from Year 7 up to Year 13 was a glorious Dickens pastiche and played to packed audiences over a fabulous four night run. Adapted from the classic Radio 4 series, this Fifties style farce shamelessly mixed and matched renowned Dickensian scenarios to somehow form a coherent and self-consciously comic plot, with the audiences loving the caricatures that have become part of the fabric of British culture.
Narrator Sam Harman as Sir Philip Bin, masterfully held the threads together as he remembered his younger days with a mix of nostalgia and delusion. The inventor of the FlipBin, he reminisced about thwarting the malevolent Gently Benevolent played with menacing evil intent by Sixth Former Yussi Hill. So convincing were the performances that one could almost hear the dramatic silent movie style musical accompaniment.
Will Gandy as the romantic lead Pip, takes the brick bats and bruising with aplomb, showing us his character’s learning curve of maturity while playing the part with both savoir faire and fun. There was cast of fabulous cameos with Kirat Kahlon, only in Year 7, playing monster Headmaster Wackwell Hardthrasher with a gusto belying her tender years. Surely not based on today’s Head, Mr Jason Slack, her portrayal was a laughter-filled but nonetheless withering reminder of what schooling meant to previous generations, lurching from one fearful scenario to the next.
As Director and King’s Head of Drama, Donald Forbes, said: “We know this will be the first of many wonderful performances on the King’s stage from this little star.”
Older students Ben O’Donnell, Annabelle Jordan and Phoebe Harrison graced the stage in this audacious production, with confidence, charisma and gusto, showing that the more a young performer is given the chance to perform, the more they will relish the challenge.
Never so true as when the raucous chorus entered the scenes; a fully committed group of young pupils who tackled the roles of flying skunks, starving boarding school pupils and puppet jury members with great discipline and mirthful credibility.
