17 – 19 May, 31 May – 2 June
It’s 1860, and we meet a novelist deserted by his muse. He tells us of past triumphs, but now he is in desperate need of inspiration. Can the audience help? They surely can. Those doughty Wardrobe regulars the Closer Each Day Company are back with another spontaneously improvised Dickensian show, and laughter is guaranteed. For many of us the thought of performing on stage is pretty scary, and the idea of doing so without a script, a clear notion of plot, and perhaps not even much notion of character is absolutely terrifying. But these actors are old hands at this game. After all, their ever-popular improvised soap opera, Closer Each Day, is nearing its 200th episode.
How do they succeed every night in creating a show on the hoof? Well there’s clearly enormous mutual trust, and they all seem extraordinarily quick-witted, but they aren’t so reckless as to start with an entirely blank sheet. There is a loose, adaptable framework within which each 70-minute show takes shape. Some parts of that framework are the familiar settings and characters that we think of as ‘Dickensian’. Take your pick from abandoned orphans, child cruelty, likeable rogues, evil landlords, sudden changes in fortune etc. Last night’s show featured, amongst other delights, a rowdy gin house, an utterly heartless workhouse boss, cruelly separated siblings, and a good old Cockney knees-up. Certain of these elements were selected by the audience, as were the bizarre names of some of the characters. As the creator of Squeers, Pecksniff and Pumblechook, Dickens himself would surely have been proud of ‘Wigglepants’.
However, some of the funniest moments owed very little to Dickens or to anyone else, and appeared to spring unbidden from the very fertile imaginations of the cast. For example, last night there was an excruciatingly funny scene involving seafood. I’ll give no further details in case they decide to include it in any future performances. Suffice it to say that, if the occasion demands, No Expectations may well launch off into wild areas of surreal fantasy. The unpredictability is a key part of the fun. Yet there’s a professional polish to it all, too. The mood of each scene is enhanced by piano accompaniment, and there are well-timed sound and lighting effects. Very occasionally, of course, there’s a hesitant moment, or characters talk across each other, but recovery is lightning fast, which only adds to the excitement of watching skilled practitioners performing on thin ice.
No Expectations: The Unscripted Dickens is improvised ensemble work at its very best. Catch it if you can.
★★★★☆ Mike Whitton 18th May
Photo credit: Daisy Tian Dai
