Los Angeles Times
- Highly Recommended
"...Vibrant theatricality meets literary fidelity in "Great Expectations" at A Noise Within. Neil Bartlett's 2007 take on Charles Dickens' often-adapted classic enlivens prosaic content with dramatic vitality, which its arresting West Coast premiere delivers in spades under the co-direction of Geoff Elliott and Julia Rodriguez-Elliott."
LA Weekly
- Highly Recommended
"...In this production, that plot is really the emotional heartbeat, thanks to the chemistry between the actors. The crisply staged production features innumerable eccentrics who float through this dual-spine structure. The result is far less picaresque than the novel; yet for all the strengthening of the two main crossbeams, the drama is, ironically, more ambivalent in its conclusions. Even Dickens' feed-bad, feel-good blend of despondency and sentimentality is muted, when you'd think that such a structural paring-down would result in a clearer view. Nonetheless, I found that ambivalence oddly appealing. A few overwrought performances temper this otherwise robust production."
Backstage
- Recommended
"...Bolstered by Jason Dechert's finely wrought lead performance as resilient young hero Pip, Neil Bartlett's compact new adaptation of Charles Dickens' novel offers a mostly satisfying revisit to the classic. Co-directors Geoff Elliott and Julia Rodriguez-Elliott provide a deft staging, recounting the densely plotted story in slightly more than two hours. Bartlett's text occasionally skimps on key story details, leading to unclear transitions, but the overall effort is entertaining and crisply evocative."
Stage and Cinema
- Recommended
"...Although I will never understand why A Noise Within decided to use Neil Bartlett's Classics Illustrated adaptation of Charles Dickens's Great Expectations, which is not merely a vulgar reduction of this great novel but one that fails to capture the very qualities that make the novel great, I must admit that, as imaginatively directed by Geoff Elliott and Julia Rodriguez-Elliott, the production is a marvel of stagecraft and the ensemble is, for the most part, skillfully adroit."
Stage Scene LA
- Highly Recommended
"...Whether you're an adult looking to spend a couple of hours with a childhood favorite, a parent or teacher wanting to introduce a young person/young people to Dickens and live theater (thereby killing two birds with a single stone), or simply an avid playgoer, Great Expectations provides a splendid way to spend an evening or afternoon between now and the week before Christmas. Simply put, this is Los Angeles theater at its classiest and best."
StageHappenings.com
- Somewhat Recommended
"...Bartlett's script, however, relies too heavily on narration and offers short bursts of dialogue in lieu of developed scenes; ghostly voices echo previous scenes, and the ensemble comments on the action with lines like, "Don't go." The back and forth timeline editing may have been used for purposes of clarification, but it merely serves to flummox the audience, who truly sat nonplussed at the end of both acts."
Examiner
- Highly Recommended
"...Truth is stranger than fiction, so go to see A Noise Within's "Great Expectations" with that in mind. The novel gives a fuller account of the things that Pip missed in his ambition to be worthy of Estella and his attempts to make amends than this adaptation. Moreover, this adaptation doesn't attempt to give a happy ending. The steampunk vibe works and the directors also seamlessly fit in a few comic moments."
Socal
- Highly Recommended
"...Lead actor Jason Dechert debuts at A Noise Within with his role as Pip and gives a dynamic performance morphing seamlessly between his role as a young boy and as a narrator reflecting on his character's life. Actress Jaimi Paige, who played Regina in A Noise Within's production of Ghosts, gives a fierce portrayal of Estella – a belittling tyrant of a girl that develops into a woman aged and worn down by her cold-hearted ways. Jill Hill gives a fiery and wildly energized portrayal of Mrs. Joe as well as a heart-warming portrayal of adoptee Biddy. Overall the play is well paced, inventive and staged extremely well."
