| Bleak Expectations | |
| Place: | Watermill Theatre, Newbury, Berkshire |
| Orig Lang: | English |
| Genre: | Comedy |
Bleak Expectations is a comedy play by Mark Evans based on his BBC Radio 4 series of the same name.
The play made its world premiere at the Watermill Theatre in Newbury, Berkshire directed by Caroline Lesley, running from 27 May until 2 July 2022.[1]
Due to the success of the Watermill production, the play transferred to London's West End at the Criterion Theatre from 3 May 2023.[2] A different guest star appears each week as the narrator, including Tom Allen, Adjoa Andoh, Alexander Armstrong, Julian Clary, Jack Dee, Stephen Fry, Lee Mack, Stephen Mangan, Dermot O'Leary, Sue Perkins, Sally Philips and Nina Wadia. The production was due to run until 3 September, however was announced it would be closing early on 13 August 2023 (cancelling Ben Miller and Nish Kumar's runs as the narrator). Hugh Dennis was also announced to replace Jo Brand's run as the narrator.
| Main character | Original Watermill cast (2022) | Original West End cast (2023) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Agnes Bin / Flora Dies-Early | Alicia McKenzie | Ashh Blackwood | |
| Gently Benevolent | Simon Kane | John Hopkins | |
| The Hardthrashers | Dan Tetsell | Marc Pickering | |
| Harry Biscuit / Mr Parsimonious | JJ Henry | ||
| Pip Bin | Dom Hodson | ||
| Pippa Bin | Rosie Basista | Serena Manteghi | |
| Poppy Bin / Ripely Fecund | Caitlin Scott | Rachel Summers | |
| Thomas Bin / Bakewell Havertwitch / Broadly Fecund | Colm Gleeson | Shane David-Joseph | |
| Sir Philip Bin | Nicholas Murchie | Various guest stars* | |
| Understudies | Abigail Matthews Conor Dumbrell Emily Waters Eric Mallett | ||