Great Expectations

In its premiere at the Paper Mill Playhouse, the audiences and critics cheered this new adaptation of one of the greatest novels in the English language—a story of pride and ambition blinding a soul to the true values of life. Here are all the memorable characters—Young Pip, the blacksmith's apprentice whose secret benefactor gives him his great expectations of becoming a London gentleman; the mad Miss Havisham who shut herself up in her gloomy mansion when she was jilted on her wedding day; her adopted daughter, Estella, whom she has trained to break men's hearts; the gentle blacksmith, Joe, and his shrewish wife; the escaped convict, Magwitch, and the scarred man who is stalking him; the bumbling Herbert Pocket; the pompous Uncle Pumblechook; the austere lawyer, Jaggers, with his whimsical clerk, Wemmick; the murderous Orlick; kindly Biddy; arrogant Drummle; and a vast array of wonderfully actable roles. The production can be played simply on a set which cleverly takes the audience from the windswept marshes to gloomy mansion, bustling London and even a boat collision on the Thames. Gripping drama, delightful humor and a true Dickensian flavor all the while. A terrific way to introduce audiences of all ages to one of the great works of literature. Included in the script are complete stage directions.