Theatre and Dance Reviews

Reviewed at the Birmingham Hippodrome, 24th October 2007

Not performed in the UK since 1980, this two part adaptation of Dickens' Nicholas Nickleby is a unique theatrical event but also one that’s a hard sell.

Six hours of theatre for one story over two nights means both parts have to work as well separately, as they do together. I am pleased to say this current production is superb and really celebrates the brilliance of Dickens and, dare I say, the Englishness of the tale.

The classic story follows Nicholas, left penniless on the death of his father, as he escapes the influence of his villainous uncle Ralph and the tyrannical schoolmaster Wackford Squeers and embarks on a thrilling journey through 1830's England.

He stumbles into a theatrical career with the deliciously warm-hearted actor Vincent Crummles in Portsmouth, befriends the helpless and falls in love, taking us on a spell-binding adventure which eventually sees him find happiness, as his story hurtles to its conclusion in the teeming, sprawling city of London.

And the pace never lets up as multiple character and costume changes ensue throughout the cast. This gets so frenetic at times that it becomes a running gag.

There isn’t a bad performance in the production but extra mention needs to go to Daniel Weyman as Nicholas and Pip Donaghy as Mr Squeers. The first half sees Nicholas get a job as a teacher in a school run by the demonic Mr Squeers, who feels a good beating is all a bad lad needs. The set up for this and the eventual showdown between Squeers and Nicholas is electrifying and shows how Dicken’s vision of England in the 1800s isn’t much different from today’s society.

Lampooned

This paves the way for fantastic comedic moments as you are in the theatre watching a play mocking a serious play. So Nickleby’s fine combination of all of Shakespeare’s plays, clearly showing what Dickens thought of the bard, is lampooned until the audience was in tears (of laughter!). This worked as a brilliant contrast to the bad times that have come upon Nicholas’s sister and her evil uncle, as she tries to make a living in the fashion industry.

The first part comes to a brilliant conclusion with an ensemble production of Nickleby’s latest work, it somersaults into pantomime on several occasions but at this stage you’re enjoying the performances too much to care. This clearly shows that Dickens wasn’t all about how depressing old England was, it celebrates everything great about being British and I loved that. It made me want to go back to my Dickens classics and read them again.

This is what theatre is all about, superb performances, good sets and in the end a great story to entertain young and old. Do not miss it!