Esh Alladi – Live Art Alive

Esh Alladi as Pipli and Asif Khan as Jagu in Great Expectations at Royal Exchange Theatre.
Image credit: Ellie Kurttz

Adapted by Tanika Gupta

Directed by Pooja Ghai

ROYAL EXCHANGE THEATRE

Great Expectations by Charles Dickens has been a crowd pleasing classic since first published in 1860. It has inspired numerous films, television and stage adaptations. Here Tanika Gupta takes this coming of age story and places it in 1899 in Bengal where rumours swirl of the British Empire’s intention to implement partition. A version of this adaptation was first staged in 2011 with English Touring Theatre and Watford Palace Theatre but perhaps it is even more relevant now with the rhetoric of politicians such as Suella Braverman and Priti Patel. Director Pooja Ghai sees this classic tale as ‘a rags to riches to rags story’ and Tanika Gupta uses the narrative to explore themes of religion and caste, race and colonialism. The outcome of this artistic collaboration is a success with the narrative staying true to Dickens and the new elements, for the most part blending in effectively.

The staging design by Rosa Maggiora is simply gorgeous. All ombre hues and intricately carved wood and metalwork, it flows as effortlessly as the glistening aquamarine of the surrounding river; a constant reminder of the impact of the looming Partition. The division between the world Pipli inhabits versus that of Miss Havisham and Estella is deftly delineated by the high carved gates. This is vividly accentuated by Lighting Designer Joshua Carr who paints the hopes and possibilities of having great expectations with a warm golden light whereas the home of Miss Havisham is dimmed and dulled as it reflects the chill and joylessness of all hope and love being long gone. With each moment the stilled, cobwebbed clock descends there is a sense of decay and wasted expectations.

Although certain characters’ names are altered to South Asian ones, they remain true to Dickens’ original vision. Pipli wears his heart and hopes firmly on his sleeve as he strives for what he perceives as a better life and naively entrust his heart and fortune to Estella and Miss Havisham. Esh Alladi does a good job with the younger Pipli but really hits his stride as Pipli grows up and experiences the brutality of heartbreak and the difficulties of straddling two worlds of class and culture in a rapidly changing world. Some of his later scenes are genuinely riveting and incredibly emotive.

Overall this is a strong cast with Andrew French creating a memorable take on the convict Malik. There is an added richness in how his beleaguered history has created a man still capable of love and generosity whereas the heartbroken but privileged Miss Havisham is cold and embittered and seems only capable of revenge with no redemptive qualities. Catherine Russell is a riveting onstage presence eliciting all Miss Havisham’s ghastly prejudice and disdain but flitting into moments of laudanum induced reminiscences that show the coy, innocent girl that was snuffed out on the morning of her wedding day. Cecilia Appiah as Estella captures the cold, haughty girl who is trapped knowing how she must be in order to keep her rank and privilege and discarding her joy and her capacity to love in the process. Some of the lighter moments come from a deftly comic and endearing performance by Giles Cooper as Herbert who befriends Pipli and steers him through the pitfalls of his new life and remains a constant despite the wavering fortunes of his great expectations.

Ceilia Appiah as Estella in Great Expectations at Royal Exchange Theatre
Image credit: Ellie Kurttz

Running at 3 hours including an interval, Director Pooja Ghai keeps the action flowing and the energy high. There are issues such as the running around the stage that feel unnecessary and not the most imaginative use of this wonderful theatre space yet the fight scenes are fresh, visceral and well crafted. Towards the end the political speech may feel essential to drive home the narrative but feel slightly rushed and does not work as well as it could, followed by a comedic touch which spoils the pitching of both. Overall there is much to love and appreciate in this production. It feels like a genuine celebration of placing talent old and new above race, religion or class. Perhaps it is even more special taking place in a theatre repurposed from a commodities exchange that built its success on colonial systems.

Great Expectations 8th Sept – 2nd Oct 2023

Shalini Peiris and Esh Alladi in Hobson’s Choice. Credit Marc Brenner

Written by Harold Brighouse

Adapted by Tanika Gupta

Directed by Atri Banerjee

In this new adaptation of the 1915 classic, Tanika Gupta has moved the setting from a cobbler’s shop in Salford to a tailor’s shop that is vibrant with silk saris. Set in Eighties Ancoats, Hobson and his three daughters are Asian Ugandans who fled the regime of Idi Amin and have spent the last 15 years building a life and a business in the Britain of Ted Heath who had welcomed 30,000 refugees. Using sparkling dialogue and a clear understanding of the original Gupta honours the familial relationships established by Brighouse while ensuring that the societal themes remain fresh and current.

The set design by Rosa Maggiora blasts colour and a keen sense of detail into this production. Director Atri Banerjee brings a lightness of touch to this production insuring that the witty dialogue sparkles throughout. His experience at the Royal Exchange is evident in how he uses the space. He creates an intimacy and a sense of participation for the audience. Wedding favours are shared out during the interval creating a lovely sense that we are participants in the wedding celebration. The catwalk triumph of Asian Chic serves as a joyful finale and also as a celebratory parade of all the actors.

This is a really strong cast that brings an absolute authenticity to this production. We see young women wearing mini skirts and dancing in The Hacienda, rebelling against a father who tells them to “Live within your boundaries. It’s a Man’s World.” There is the destructive theme of racism from Enoch Powell’s Rivers of Blood speech that still resonates today. Hobson has slipped into alcoholism and his best tailor works for a pittance because he “is the lowest of the low”, staying because “Your Papa has my passport.”

Esh Alladi as Ali Mossop. Credit Marc Brenner

Esh Alladi is utterly engaging and believable as the shy downtrodden worker full of twitches and tremors. There is real delight in watching him grow in confidence from tentative bridegroom to a loving husband and a budding entrepreneur. Shalini Peiris as Durga Hobson is cooly decisive and resourceful. There is no self pity for her situation instead she ensures the best possible outcome for herself and her sisters. Peiris skillfully balances being both a funny and blunt force of nature with the delicacy and vulnerability of being a new bride on her wedding night.

Tony Jayawardena as Hobson gives a performance full of bluster, self-pity and patriarchal arrogance. He embodies a man living in complete denial who has slipped into alcoholism and is facing bankruptcy and the loss of his family. Even when Hobson is at his most outrageous Jayawardena still brings enough warmth and charm to his character that his daughter’s return involves residual affection and not just duty or ambition.

This new adaptation is a real success that brings the issues of intergenerational conflict, class snobbery, alcoholism and immigration into sharp focus while never feeling preachy or worthy. Over one hundred years since the original opening night, Hobson’s Choice remains relevant, engaging and thought provoking.

Royal Exchange 31 May – 6 July 2019