"There is lots to enjoy here; the constant silliness means there nothing serious in the show, but that is exactly the point."
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"Whilst the concept is great, the show is more amusing than riotously funny, and the absence of great comedy means the lack of plot is only highlighted. The script could be made much more complex and wittier, but in its current form, it instead induces giggles rather than hysterics. Unfortunately, 'Bleak Expectations' is not the best of times or the worst of times - it’s just an okay time."
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"It’s that kind of show, with nothing new to say about our Victorian past (far less the present), and lots of funny ways of saying it."
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“There’s the comforting sense that even if you miss one throwaway joke, there’s always another one just behind. It might not do much for the bar takings, but the show would be immeasurably better if it were to lose half an hour and run straight through without an interval. The reward would be more belly laughs instead of titters.”
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"Even comic exaggeration wears out its welcome if it isn’t anchored in some kind of truth. However, the script made some nods in that direction, like the running commentary on the subjugation of women as they protest for their right to vote...I loved the nod toward Victorian-era repression with the statement that a bride can die from the shock of physical contact with a man"
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"Evans’ send-up of [Dickens’] classic… is so informed and quick-witted it doesn’t just fly the flag for intelligent parodies it salutes Dickens’ genius. English eccentricity at its madcap best."
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"The comedy here is familiar, thin stuff, both exhausted and exhausting."
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"The first act runs out of steam quite quickly, and while there are undeniable belly-laughs in the second half, there’s a feeling that this is a fringe skit, uncomfortably drawn out to West End proportions."
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