GREAT Expectations is a book that you could say lives up to its title – an epic story of damaged lives and shattered illusions. Despite its scale it lends itself to the intimacy of theatre as the audience will discover when Shaftesbury Arts Centre’s music and drama group stages the story, from 22nd to 25th October.

One of Charles Dickens’ most powerful novels, it contains a character that is not only one of its creator’s most compelling, but probably one of the most famous (and misunderstood) in all literature – Miss Havisham, the eternal doomed bride, abandoned on her wedding day.

Dickens – and adapter Neil Bartlett – invite you into this world of shadows, secrets and broken dreams, on a journey that hurtles from the eerie Kent marshes to the glittering yet treacherous streets of London, following young Pip from humble beginnings to dangerous ambition.

Along the way, his path crosses and interweaves with the haunting figure of Miss Havisham, trapped in her decaying mansion and wedding dress, the coldly beautiful Estella, the enigmatic lawyer Jaggers, keeper of secrets, and the convict Magwitch, who alters Pip’s fate forever.

What makes Neil Bartlett’s adaptation so distinctive is its sheer theatricality. Instead of retelling Dickens’ novel as a traditional costume drama, Bartlett strips the story back to its dark, beating heart. With a lean, fast-moving script and inventive staging, this production captures the humour and raw emotional power of the novel in a way that feels startlingly modern and utterly compelling.

The production is directed by Diana Banham. Rafe Commissaris plays Pip, Rosalind Drew is Miss Havisham, Charlotte Berry is Estella, Carl Davies is Joe and Jaggers, Robert Brydges is Magwitch, and the many other colourful characters are played by Jemma Kirby, Phil Elsworth, Bryan Farrell and Harvey Cormack.

Performed by a remarkable local cast in the intimate space of Shaftesbury Arts Centre, this is Great Expectations as you’ve never experienced it – bold, immediate, and unflinchingly dramatic. Tickets from www.shaftesburyartscentre.org.uk or 01747 854321.