Talisman Theatre and Arts Centre Barrow Road, Kenilworth CV8 1EG

Monday 24th - Saturday 29th August 2026

Bleak Expectations

We have two wheelchairs spaces as indicated on the seating plan above.

To check availability and book please contact the Box Office on 01926 856548 (or email us through our Contact Us page)

Click for Seating Plan

Mischief, mayhem and darkly comic chaos.

by Mark Evans

Directed by Michael Seeley

Assistant Director – Maurice Smith

Prepare for a hilarious evening of joy and laughter as Dickens meets Monty Python in this chaotic comic caper.

Follow the story of Pip Bin and his family and friends as they scramble to escape the clutches of dastardly villains and find true love. Spot the Dickensian characters as they uphold their Victorian values in this non-stop comic farce that sees them send up Britishness with oodles of silliness as they race towards their (hopefully) happy ending.

Based on the award-winning BBC Radio 4 series, this Mark Evans play enjoyed a highly successful run in the West End. So take a trip back to Victorian England in this fast-paced and inventive production, featuring a host of instantly-familiar characters that will have you rolling in the aisles.

Age recommendation: 12+ or at parental discretion.

An amateur production by arrangement with Nick Hern Books.

PERFORMANCE DATES & TIMES

We have two wheelchair spaces available for each performance. To book wheelchair spaces, be added to the waiting list or ticket returns, please contact Box Office on 01926 856548 (or via our Contact Us page)

Tickets are available via the online booking system with concessions available for full time students, those in receipt of a pension, Talisman members and group bookings (for parties of 10 or more).

Talisman Theatre and Arts Centre
Barrow Road, Kenilworth CV8 1FN

We have two wheelchairs spaces as indicated on the seating plan above.

To check availability and book please contact the Box Office on 01926 856548 (or email us through our Contact Us page)

Click for Seating Plan

SHOW DETAILS

Mischief, mayhem and darkly comic chaos.

by Mark Evans

Directed by Michael Seeley

Assistant Director – Maurice Smith

Prepare for a hilarious evening of joy and laughter as Dickens meets Monty Python in this chaotic comic caper.

Age recommendation: 12+ or at parental discretion.

An amateur production by arrangement with Nick Hern Books.

CAST & CREW

Cast

Harry Biscuit – Suneil Bagri

Sir Philip Bin – Graham Buckingham-Underhill

Agnes Bin, Flora Dies-Early – Kathy Buckingham-Underhill

The Hardthrasher siblings – Gareth Davies

Lilly ‘the Hand’ (but so much more) – Gill Halford

Skinflint Parsimonious / Solo School Boy / Crutch Person / London Vendor / Court Official / Vicar at the End – Tom Holden

Gently Benevolent – Philip Leigh

Pippa Bin – Lauren McCann

Thomas Bin / Broadly Fecund – Sean Noone

Ripely Fecund / Poppy Bin – Aoife O’Gorman

Bakewell Havertwitch – Phil Spencer

Pip Bin – Simon Truscott

Crew

Director – Michael Seeley

Set Designer – Michael Seeley

Production Manager – Wendy Elliott

Wardrobe – Saira Roper, Aoife O’Gorman & Linda Pearson

Lighting – Nigel Elliott

Sound – Colin Thomas

Props – Corrina Jacob

Projections & VFX – Chris Williams

Set Build – Talisman Set build Team

Publicity – Sharon Sully

Photography – Gwyn Davies

Assistant Director – Maurice Smith

DIRECTOR'S NOTES

I would love to say that I have always loved Dickens and read every one of his novels, but that would be a lie. I have read only one. I would also love to say that I listened to every episode of Radio 4’s Bleak Expectations, on which this play is based. That too would be a lie, as I have never listened to a single episode, although I know plenty of people who have.

What I did grow up with was the classic film version of Oliver! and wonderful television dramatisations of many of Dickens’ works, with their wonderfully tangled plots and larger-than-life characters. I was captivated by every moment. I also grew up in a family obsessed with The Goons, Monty Python and even The Goodies, and quickly developed a love of this wonderfully absurd style of comedy, full of silliness, wit and exuberance.

I first directed a play in 1992, beginning with the classic French farce Caught in the Act. It featured eccentric comic characters, mistaken identities and plenty of theatrical chaos. Bleak Expectations is a more modern take on farce, but it shares that same spirit, with an extraordinary collection of larger-than-life characters and relentless comic energy. Supported by an Assistant Director trained in the art of farce, it has felt like coming home.

Adapting a story originally written for radio brings its own unique challenges. There are over 40 scene changes, two sword fights, nearly 100 props, and enough sound and lighting cues to rival a pantomime. We hope you enjoy the inventive ways we’ve tackled those challenges through a simple set, creative projections and some very resourceful prop work—all while keeping one eye firmly on health and safety. You’ll understand exactly what I mean once the show begins!

I have been incredibly fortunate to work with a wonderful cast and crew, bringing together both long-standing Talisman members and those newer to the company. Every one of them has helped make this a production I will remember for a very long time.

I hope you enjoy joining Pip Bin on his chaotic journey through Victorian England in search of love, fortune and happiness. We’ve had an enormous amount of fun bringing this delightfully bonkers world to life, and I very much hope you have just as much fun watching it.

Michael Seeley