Thursday 18 May 2023 12:13 pm

Bleak Expectations at the Criterion Theatre is the silliest West End show you’ve got to catch

Features Journalist

Bleak Expectations is being pegged as London’s silliest show. It riffs on some of the best bits of Charles Dickens’ novels. Some of the parts we can imagine well in our minds, such as the grimy Victorian school in Oliver. Best of all is that you needn’t know anything about Dickens to enjoy the show, other than that the Victorian era was “a bit weird,” says the show’s creator Mark Evans.

Bleak Expectations plays at the Criterion Theatre until Sunday 3 September after many off-West-End runs that have made this play something of a cult must-see show ever since it was first performed on Radio 4 in 2007. Read on to find out why show writer Evans thinks that 19th century Dickensian London wasn’t actually so different to the weird times we’re living through right now….

HOW ARE YOU FEELING ABOUT YOUR BIG WEST END TRANSFER?

It’s a bit like I’ve eaten a giant bowl of emotion soup, filled with nerves, excitement and sheer incredulity that it’s actually happening. Luckily, the main flavour is excitement: it’s a joy and a privilege to have the show on in the West End.

WHAT’S THE LOWDOWN ON BLEAK EXPECTATIONS?

It actually originated as a Radio 4 series. I’ve always thought the 19th Century was a rather silly time — recognisably like our century, but stranger — and thus it made the ideal setting for a sitcom, especially if you add the bits of Charles Dickens everyone knows such as poverty, ridiculous names, cruel schools and so on. But I always thought it might make a good stage show — as did my friend David Wolstencroft (a fellow writer who created ‘Spooks’). So together we decided to try and make that happen. It took several years, many drafts of the script, some helpful co-producers and a whole bunch of other lovely, creative people, but now here we are…

AND THERE ARE SURPRISE GUESTS STARS EVERY WEEK…

The play is framed as a character narrating the story of his life, and it occurred to us that that it might be a really fun part for a guest star: they can pop up on stage every now and then, do some fun jokes and bits of plot and they can just read their lines from a large, leather book if they want. (Although most of them are so good they learn them anyway). And who wouldn’t want to work with all those great people, even if it’s just for a week at a time?

YOU CALL THIS THE SILLIEST WEST END SHOW BY FAR – WHAT CAN AUDIENCES EXPECT?

It is quite silly… but hopefully in a clever way. Plus there’s a proper story, some genuine emotions and lots of jokes and ridiculousness. And no-one needs to know anything Dickensian beyond the fact that the 19th centurywas a bit weird. It’s the kind of funny, joy-filled, family-friendly show that I hope can give people an entertaining break from the ever more complicated and mildly frightening real world outside.

WHAT’S THE MOST IMPORTANT QUESTION THE SHOW IS ASKING, IF ANY?

Will you be able to get a ticket before it sells out? How much laughter can a human body take? Can evil be defeated by goodness and decency? In our show the answer’s yes… if only real life agreed!

WHAT IS IT ABOUT DICKENS THAT STILL ENDURES TODAY?

Primarily because he’s a great storyteller: his books are still crackingly readable — and much funnier than they’re often given credit for. But also because he’s such a brilliant observer of human character. So many of the people he creates are recognisable to us at types we still see today, from dodgy politicians to hypocritical dogooders.

WHAT WILL LONDONERS LEARN THAT’S NEW ABOUT THEIR CITY?

That you can walk through modern London, look around and realise you’re still surrounded by the Victorian city — with the Criterion Theatre itself being a brilliant example of that. But from the play they’ll also learn about 19th century waste disposal; how certain hugely rich areas of London weren’t always so; and about the little known but sordid art of street metallurgy…