Clwyd Theatre's musical Great Expectations Thrills

From the misty opening on the Essex marshes to the bittersweet denouement of Dickens' compelling story, Clwyd Theatr Cymru's new musical adaptation of Great Expectations charms, delights and grips its audience throughout. Faithfully yet innovatively adapted and directed by Tim Baker, cleverly enhanced by Mark Bailey's design and seamlessly woven together by a tuneful and atmospheric score of music and songs by Dyfan Jones, the production currently playing at Cardiff's Sherman Theatre during a brief nationwide tour is a truly thrilling theatrical experience.

One of the best loved stories from the Dickens library, Great Expectations narrates the story of its protagonist, Pip, from the age of seven to his mid-thirties. Beginning with the young orphan's chilling encounter with escaped convict Magwitch on Christmas Eve 1812, his journey to manhood continues with encounters with the eccentric Miss Havisham and her beautiful step-daughter, Estella and his presentation with a bequest from a mysterious benefactor who wishes to take the boy away from his humble roots to a new life as a gentleman in London. The plot then follows Pip's attempts to fulfil his "great expectations" as he encounters pit-falls and heartbreak along the way.

All the typically Dickensian humour and the emotional power of the narrative are revealed with both subtlety and panache by a small but immensely talented cast: Graham Bickley (whose West End credits include the roles of Joe Gillis in Sunset Boulevard, Tateh in Ragtime and Dexter in High Society), Eleanor Howell, Steven Meo, Rhiannon Oliver, Greg Palmer, Vivien Parry, Robert Perkins, Steffan Rhodri and Simon Watts. Every member of the ensemble gives a perfectly nuanced performance, in particular Steffan Rhodri's beautifully observed comic and warm-hearted Joe Gargery and Graham Bickley's menacing yet engaging Magwitch.

Steven Meo's Pip is a remarkable display of acting talent - equally convincing as "rough and ready" young child, naïve youth and refined gentleman, with a delicately toned singing voice and a facial expression for every possible emotion. In recent years he has established himself as an accomplished television actor (with lead roles in BBC Wales's Belonging and High Hopes, BBC 3's Grown Ups and guest appearances in Casualty and Torchwood). In this new role, he totally owns the stage and draws out all the humour, frustration and pathos that inhabit the character of Pip, making every moment of his journey totally believable.

To quote Dickens' text: "Take nothing on its looks, take everything on evidence. There is no better rule". The evidence on display here is that this new production of Great Expectations is a truly memorable piece of musical theatre.

Great Expectations will continue to play at Sherman, Cardiff until Saturday March 21 before the tour continues to the Liverpool Playhouse (Tuesday 24 - Saturday 28 March), Theatre Brycheiniog, Brecon (Monday 30 March & Tuesday 31 March), and the Torch Theatre, Milford Haven (Thursday 2 April - Saturday 4 April).

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