At Theatre Bubble we are always on the look out for new and creative work from around the regions and perhaps it is no surprise to many that we recently fell upon exciting preparations in Manchester for a forthcoming production of a popular classic Great Expectations. What caught our eye here was the renewed partnership of two different but equally innovative theatre makers, along with the reuniting of a leading artistic duo, Gupta and Ghai.
This highly creative new adaptation of Great Expectations will be performed at the Royal Exchange Theatre in Manchester this coming September. Obviously by Charles Dickens but this is a re-worked adaptation by Tanika Gupta. Directed by Pooja Ghai.
This successful Writer/Director partnership are reunited in Manchester for this fresh take of Gupta’s Dickens rags to riches classic. With Ghai directing, this new production of Great Expectations. The story has been interpreted through a South Asian female-led lens and completes a trilogy of artistic collaborations by Gupta and Ghai where they explored our colonial history which began with Lions And Tigers (Shakespeare Globe, 2017) and most recently with The Empress (RSC, 2023). It is great to see the involvement of the Exchange as the work of this innovative and create duo deserves as wide an audience as possible.
The setting has been reimagined in Bengal, 1903, during the contentious time of the Indian partition and in reframing Dickens’ exploration of 19th century London and placing it firmly in the time of the British Raj it allows for the exploration of extended themes of caste, race and colourism, the story in this version also considers the British Empire and colonial legacies.
Theatre Bubble hears that Tanika Gupta said: that she always deeply admired Dickens’ classic tale of a boy who goes from rags to riches and then back again. She goes on to explain further,
‘This story works well in this Bengal setting when young Indian men were being educated by the British Raj to become ’English in manners’ to help administer the colony. The issues of class, caste and race are also easily interchangeable, and I love the timeless nature of the story.’
Of course, the story still captivates, readers and theatre goers alike as the idea that our destiny can turn on a chance encounter and a kind deed fills us with interest but i think the resetting of the tale will very much add another dramtic dimension and should well worth the trip to the north.
I would suggest that even if you are not in Manchester get along all the same – it sounds to me like an old favourite re-energised so check out the dates and just look at who is the cast ! Certainly, this is a production not to be missed.
Dates: 8th September – 7 October 2023
Times: 2.30pm & 7.30PM. see website for details
CAST
Pipli Esh Alladi
Miss Havisham Catherine Russell
Estella Cecilia Appiah
Jagu Asif Khan
Krishna/Meneka Shanaya Rafaat
Malik Andrew French
Bilquis Humera Syed
Panda/Public Speaker Nav Sidhu
Jaggers Stephen Fewell
Wahab/Soldier Shaban Dar
Compeyson/Matthew Pocket Reginald Edwards
Herbert Pocket/Soldier Giles Cooper
CREATIVE TEAM
- Director Pooja Ghai
- Adapted by Tanika Gupta
- Designer Rosa Maggoria
- Lighting Designer Joshua Carr
- Composer and Sound Designer Arun Ghosh
- Fight Director/Intimacy Director RC Annie
- Assistant Director (Birkbeck) Amara Heyland-Morrin
Join the discussion