Theatre Review: Bleak Expectations

It's always slightly weird when entertainment transfers from one medium to another. The actors on stage never look like the characters you imagined when you read the book. A prog-rock concept album loses its grandeur when transferred to 27 part Netflix series. And the subversive intent of the comic book is neutered to make a blockbuster movie.

So what happens when a hit radio show is transformed into a West End Spectacular? Magic!

Radio 4's Bleak Expectations always surpassed other radio comedies by virtue of actually being funny. It's a long-running parody of all the tropes in Dickens' novels - and Victoriana in general. And now it has a short run at the Criterion Theatre as a two act play. We get a whirlwind of characters getting married, dying, seeking their fortune, being double-crossed, and sent to boarding school. Sound effects (and swans) rain down on them as prance through the plot. Accents are picked up and discarded like yesterday's bread. It is all very silly and a total delight.

Look, it isn't the most sophisticated comedy - and it lacks the detailed technical brilliance of something like The Play That Goes Wrong - but it has a hell of a lot of heart in amongst the mayhem.

The cast are having a whale of a time - giving us a cacophony of silly voices, frenzied dancing, and outrageously bad puns. It is delightful to see actors trying as hard as possible to make each other laugh. The jokes come in thick and fast - if one doesn't land, there's always a dastardly villain's guffaw to cushion the blow.

There's a new narrator every week - we had Adjoa Andoh who obviously relished the opportunity to stick on a moustache and pantomime her way through the proceedings.

It doesn't require you to have listened to even a second of the radio show. There's no back story or deep lore to worry about. Though, devotees of the series will recognise plenty of the characters and their catchphrases.

Sadly, the theatre was half-empty when we saw it. Maybe the radio series doesn't have the broad recognition that's needed to cut through the crowded West End market? The stunt casting of celebrity narrators is a good way to draw a crowd - but perhaps not enough to build excitement.

It's a pity because it is a genuinely funny show.

But, in an age where Netflix will give you endless comedy for a tenner, perhaps it is asking a bit much to expect people to pay up to £70 a ticket? There are cheap seats for £15 which represents excellent value for a night's live entertainment.