Enjoy a Charles Dickens-inspired play that’s set to shake up the West End. See if a plucky Victorian hero can save the day and book Bleak Expectations tickets on TodayTix.
Great Expectations details orphan Philip Pirrip’s coming-of-age story. But in the Bleak Expectations play, it’s all about young Pip Bin. Even though the half orphan and wannabe hero tries to save the day, he finds himself in disastrous situations. With the help of sisters Pippa and Poppy, the plucky protagonist beats disguises, conspiracies, and boarding schools to write his own happy ending.
Based on the BBC Radio 4 series of the same name, Pip Bin’s stories now come alive on stage. Expect plenty of Britishisms in this hilarious play. The Guardian praised its quaintness, saying the original radio show “bursts into life as an adrenalised stage adaptation filled with fast-paced physical comedy, joshing satire and oodles of silliness.”
Join a medley of much-loved faces as they guest star as Sir Philip “Pip” Bin in the West End run. You'll want to see Bleak Expectations in London on multiple occasions to witness different takes on the role.
Important Information We strongly recommend and ask you to wear a face covering during your visit to The Criterion - including during the performance - unless you have an exemption.
2 hours 15 minutes (inc. interval)
10+. Guidance on Content: This performance uses prop guns and contains loud noises, haze and at points flashes of light.
3rd May, 2023
13th August, 2023
By: Mark Evans Cast list: Nina Wadia, Dermot O’Leary, Sally Philips, Sue Perkins, Julian Clary, Adjoa Andoh, Lee Mack, Stephen Mangan, Hugh Dennis, Tom Allen, Jack Dee, Alexander Armstrong, Stephen Fry, Ben Miller, Nish Kumar, Robert Lindsay, Craig Ferguson, Ashh Blackwood, Shane David-Joseph, J.J. Henry, John Hopkins, Dom Hodson, Serena Manteghi, Marc Pickering, Rachel Summers
Location: West End
Railway station: Charing Cross
Bus numbers: (Haymarket) 3, 6, 12, 13, 19, 23, 38, 88, 139; (Regent Street) 14, 15, 22, 94, 159, 453
Night bus numbers: (Haymarket) 6, 12, 23, 88, 139, 159, N3, N13, N18, N19, N38, N97, N136, N550, N551; (Regent Street) 14, 94, 159, 453, N15, N22, N109
Car park: Leicester Square, Whitcomb Street (3 mins)
Directions from tube: The theatre can be seen on Piccadilly Circus next to the Eros statue.
Mark Evans’s Bleak Expectations parodies Victorian storytelling tropes. Even though the title is based on Charles Dickens’s Great Expectations, there’s references to popular Victorian costume dramas, as well as science fiction stories. Sure, there’s plenty of wacky stories, but it spoofs an era with heart. As The Guardian said: “if it is comfort theatre, it also zings with intelligence, imagination and comic anarchy.”
The play started out at the Watermill Theatre in Newbury in summer 2022. After rave reviews, Bleak Expectations now transfers for a summer season at the Criterion Theatre.
Unfortunately, tickets for this event are no longer available.
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