The new stage version restores Dickens’ original unpublished ending.
According to Shakespeare’s melancholy prince Hamlet, “The play is the thing, wherein I’ll catch the conscience of the King.”
For Prime Stage Theatre artistic director Dr. Wayne Brinda, the play is the thing wherein the audience takes an immersive journey into the mind of the playwright, the play’s historical context, and universal themes that resonate with our world today.
“The performance we present on stage is the beginning of a conversation, not the end,” says Brinda. “With every Prime Stage Theatre production we find additional ways to connect our audience with the play they’ve just seen.”
The stage version of Great Expectations is an imaginative take on the stirring rags-to-riches themes Dickens refined in a series of popular novels from 1836 to 1870.
Director Art DeConciliis guides a versatile cast featuring Sam Lander as Pip and Michaela Isenberg as his romantic interest Estella, with a variety of classic Dickensian characters played by Jeff Boles, Alex Brandel, Chelsea Davis, John Dolphin, Dylan Pal, Jennifer Sinatra and Brett Sullivan Santry.
Adapted by English playwright Neil Bartlett, Prime Stage Theatre’s Great Expectations runs for seven shows, Nov. 1-10, 2024, at New Hazlett Theater.
Following the Saturday. November 2nd performance, a post-show discussion will feature a live Zoom appearance by Mark Charles Dickens, Charles Dickens’ great-great-grandson and a retired commander in the British Royal Navy.
Brinda says the discussion with Mark Charles Dickens promises to be educational and entertaining. “He has spent most of his adult life speaking about the legacy and everyday lifestyle of his ancestor. If you already know a lot about Dickens’ work, an hour with Commander Dickens will offer even more insights.”
Those insights include an account of the decision by Charles Dickens to alter the ending of Great Expectations after completing the novel.
“The first ending Dickens wrote was dramatically different than what was eventually published in 1861,” says Brinda. “The Great Expectations you’ll see on our stage restores Dickens’ original intent.”
Brinda adds that Great Expectations fits squarely with Prime Stage Theatre’s 2024-2025 season theme of Strength, Voices, and Hope.
“People often ask why Charles Dickens still matters in our time,” he says. “The answer may be that his skill in conveying a wide range of human emotions and experiences make his messages of optimism and hope timeless.”
TICKETS AND DETAILS
Prime Stage Theatre presents Great Expectations at the New Hazlett Theater with performances November 1-10, 2024. Tickets for Prime Stage Theatre’s 2024-25 season are available online here.
Categories: Arts and Ideas, Show Previews
The inclusion of an appearance by Mark Charles Dickens is really cool! Such a great Dickens story as well. Looking forward to it!