[New post] Nae Expectations – Tron Theatre, Glasgow
Dominic Corr posted: " Written by Gary McNair after Charles Dickens Directed by Andy Arnold Tickets from £15.50 ★★★ With a gloriously apt title to capture the Scots' more cynical outlook (or perhaps something more earnest), Gary McNair's new incarnation of " Corr Blimey
With a gloriously apt title to capture the Scots' more cynical outlook (or perhaps something more earnest), Gary McNair's new incarnation of Charles Dick's literary epic Great Expectations condenses the beats of the story into a slow-burning and infectiously Glaswegian Nae Expectations, which rings in the final hurrah under the helm of Andy Arnold as the Tron's Artistic Director.
Why not begin our tale where the rest of the high street seems to think we are: Christmas Eve? The story of a young lad: destitute, broken, and more than a touch skittish but with a distinct flair for self-narration. Encountering many of Dicken's most esteemed and vile characters, young Pip ventures through the streets of Glasgow as he grapples both with his past self, and the imposter syndrome drilled into him by a generous benefactor, and a callous spinster looking to break a few hearts in lew of her own.
From rambunctious and gobby, a boy with motivation and determination, to a groomed man of success, Gavin Jon Wright's reliable and well-cast Pip channels Dicken's first-person narrative with a string of richly enjoyable performance, with an entire serving of anxious flitters. Quick-paced, reactive, and striking every mark, it's a strong leading performance which initially lifts audiences over any cracks in the show. Their frequent interactions with the wide-ranging cast of literary rogues and far-flung do-gooders are the production's cannier assets, making Arnold's a particularly enjoyable production which strikes beats of Dicken's story, fuelled with terrifically entertaining performances from Karen Dunbar's eccentric and bemused Miss Havisham, framed in Jenny Booth's wonderfully deteriorating Satis House, it's peeling walls and high-rigged sculptures. It evokes an aged pop-up book rotting from the inside out.
While the inside of Satis House still holds a grandeur, the destitution outside is captured in enormous sheets of linen to frame the production, streaks of grime shaped into familiar settings (carriages, bridges) to offer a sense of immersion. They also conceal a few eery guests: Gerry Mulgrew's Abel Magwitch chiefly. Dangerous, twitching with intimidation and a thirst for survival, Mulgrew captures both the instant presence of danger and the more manipulative and terrifying notion of the man who sets Pip up for life, switching from snarling rogue to suited and prim gentleman with quick dexterity.
But there's still one honest soul to the tale: Simon Donaldson's earnest performance as Pip's adoptive uncle Joe, a blacksmith. Donaldson's mannerisms are distinctly more reserved and sentimental than their co-stars, a much-needed break from the high humour and Dickensian flair. However, Donaldson's other performance, of Pip's Gentlemen-training friend is far from the calibre of Joe, even with all that money. In the reverse, capturing an asinine and sickeningly familiar Kelvin Pocket, exuberantly pompous.
Continuing the doubled performances, Jamie Marie Leary's up-turned-nosed Estella also plays Pip's brutal, but determined to survive older sister. It's a thoroughly malicious role as Pip's sister, one Marie Leary really sinks their teeth into – but with the lament of the story changed ending, they have less to work with as Estella in the latter moments of the production, a shame given the potential evident in their performance. Meanwhile, soaking up every moment they have, Grant Smeaton's dual role as Mr Pumblechook and Pip's solicitor Jaggers is brimming with Dickensian delight and avaricious characterisation.
In one way, McNair captures the lengthier, cumbrous nature of Dicken's work faithfully – too faithfully. As we turn the page into the second act, McNair's adaptation takes a departure, expectant but a touch unwelcome, altering the more melancholy ending and dragging its feet towards the final curtain. Perhaps an unconscious plea to keep the curtain from falling on Arnold's tremendously beloved tenure at the Tron. Nae Expectations' shifting guise from drama to comedy, to melodrama and into a more playfully interactive play is unquestionably entertaining in some areas but causes inertia which dampens the otherwise tremendous thought and performances within the production.
The show may be Arnold's last production as the artistic director for the Tron, following a fifteen-year stint in the venue, with over thirty years in Glasgow's creative landscape, but Arnold (mercifully) has no intentions of giving up the ghost just yet: their production of David Ireland's Cyrpus Avenue will return next year, this time at the Pavilion. For Nae Expectations, the crisp edges of a revitalised tale belay something sharper in the back, McNair and Arnold's shifting tale richly draped in a storybook gothic aesthetic, covering rogues, riches, and relations may not be the smoothest adaptation, but froths with ambitious ideas and terrific performances.
Rogues, Riches, and Relations
Nae Expectations runs at the Tron Theatre until November 7th at various times. Running time - Two hours and five minutes with one interval
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