On a wet and cold Tuesday evening In Manchester, I was taken to a warm and wonderful world inside the Royal Exchange Theatre. Great Expectations is a pillar of Charles Dickens’ collection, British literature and throughout the world. Tanika Gupta’s adaptation was superb from start to finish. Directed by Pooja Ghai the whole cast and crew effortlessly transported the audience to Bengal 1899. The play is a twist on a classic novel, so to be modified and infused with a different culture was a breath of fresh air. To learn about the history of India was fascinating during the performance and the influence the British Raj had during the period. Especially in scenes with Jaggers (Stephen fewell) and Herbert Pocket (Giles Cooper) who teach Pipli (Esh Alladi) how to become an English Gentleman. Also references throughout of how the English have impacted India with laws, and the cotton trade.

The cast was led by the talented Esh Alladi (Pipli) who set the tone straight away, bursting on the stage with pure energy, running around the stunning set designed by (Rosa Maggiora).The Gates were truly a great gateway in to the scenes. Sadly one of the lead characters Malik was injured, to be replaced short notice by local actor Ruben John. He stepped on to the stage like he had been part of the ensemble from the first day of rehearsal.

I would highly recommend going to watch this play as i think it’s a much-needed shot in the arm to theatre in the UK. Miss Havisham played by the powerful (Catherine Russell) was a class act, I really enjoyed her flash back scenes as it shows why she is so cold due to heartbreak.

I think in order to bring Great Expectations and characters like her to a new audience, they have to be modernised but also shown and portrayed in a way that both old and new audiences identify with. I thought the cast and crew did that brilliantly with comedic timing Giles Cooper and Asif Khan who plays Jagu did this in numerous points ( boys fight scene) and stopping Pipli from getting punished by his sister.

I want to comment on the Sound and music which was one of my highlights. The music was a mix of Punjab, modern beats and classic orchestral scores that blended and made the transitions to scenes seamless. Lighting (Lighting Designer: Joshua Carr) sound (Composer and Sound Designer: Arun Ghosh) and costume (Royal Exchange) all played a part in making you feel you were in Rajshahi, Miss Havisham’s house and bustling Calcultta.

The biggest compliment I can give this performance; any piece of art, especially good theatre, should immerse you into that world and make you forget about this one. A great play should show parallels with the world we live in today. Whether it be political, cultural or modern day society in general. I believe this play did, thanks to the writing and direction. The scenes with Nav Sidhu preaching about working standards and supporting Indian business, ring true today with strikes about pay and rights happening as I write this.

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