'Magic And Love'

Adapting Charles Dickens' sprawling Gothic novel "Great Expectations" for the TheatreSquared stage turned out to be no easy feat, according to playwright and TheatreSquared Artistic Director Robert Ford.

"With Dickens, it's really tricky, because his descriptive language is so absolutely gorgeous, and his characters are so amazing," says Ford. "If you're not careful, because of the brilliance of that, you will lose sight of what is absolutely essential on the stage, which is that characters must always be struggling for something."

According to "Great Expectations"' director Amy Herzberg, Ford was more than up to the challenge.

"I've been so charmed by his adaptation of this beautiful piece," she says.

"Great Expectations" is one of only two novels written in the first person point of view by Dickens. It tells the story of the young, destitute orphan Pip as he seeks a better life in the city of London.

"We both feel that pure narration to an audience can often take away from the feeling that the story must be told, right now," says Herzberg. "Bob has found a brilliant way to frame the story through Pip, the main character of the play, as he seeks to find a way to help a boy -- who reminds him of himself -- avoid the mistakes he made."

The play features a cast of six to perform the 30-plus characters. Frequent T2 cast member (and Los Angeles resident) Mason Azbill is back at the theater to perform in the role of Pip (among others).

"Each person performs multiple roles and jumps seamlessly between them," says Azbill.

"The characters in this piece are remarkably vivid, and it is so much fun for an audience to see these wildly diverse characters come to life in the blink of an eye," says Herzberg. "But, in the case of this show, there is an added benefit. Somehow, seeing the same six actors portray so many different characters supports the idea that we are all connected, no matter how different we may seem."

"Great Expectations" is T2's holiday show, running from Nov. 30 until New Year's Day. Herzberg thinks it's a perfect choice.

"It's a tale of journeying, misplaced values, love and redemption, told in a fast-paced, funny and touching way," she says. "It is Dickens at his best -- urging compassion as we all adventure through life together ... which, in my book, makes it an ideal holiday play for families, friends and communities."

"The first day of the novel is actually Christmas Eve, and the last chapter is a few days before Christmas," notes Ford, adding that the story has "a particular critique of some of the aspects of society: leaving people behind in poverty, the neglect of children, all sorts of things that we all feel strongly about. Especially around the holidays, when we start to pay attention to what we really value -- the spiritual things versus the material things. [Dickens] has a good, universal perspective on that. The values are very much what we celebrate around the holidays."

"To me, the recipe for any great holiday story needs two ingredients: magic and love," says Azbill. "While the book doesn't emphasize a magical force, Bob's adaptation does. Perhaps it's not really magic, but [it's] a story told so vividly that it feels like magic.

"This is a play you can bring your kids and grandparents to without covering their ears."

"Certainly, very family-friendly," agrees Ford. "It's a really fun theatrical experience, with high adventure and intrigue. It's fun and entertaining and also redemptive and touching at the same time."

NAN What's Up on 11/25/2016