★★★★★

“It all builds to a delightfully satisfying panto-esque cacophony of characters”

With only three actors on a tiny (but intricate) set, Abigail Pickard Price’s magical adaptation of David Copperfield somehow brings an entire Dickensian universe to life, deliciously populated with a stream of vibrant characters, the requisite plot twists, and an attention to detail that would make Charles Dickens proud.

As a young David Copperfield (Eddy Payne) flees his stern and violent stepfather to seek his way in the world, Neil Irish’s masterfully evocative set and costumes bring us inside law offices, outside onto small village streets, and even into the sea and along its rocky shore with no more than a cleverly placed piece of fabric here, or a stackable trunk there. Together with the soundscape (Matt Eaton), lighting (Mark Dymock), and movement direction, the overall design seamlessly journeys from place to place and character to character. Each scene change is more creative and surprising than the next – and yet never distracts from the story’s momentum.

The acting is exemplary – every character is finely drawn and a tribute to Dickens’ imagination and keen observations of human nature. Louise Beresford morphs from cunning villain to cocky scoundrel to radiant love interest without a glitch. Luke Barton brings utterly absorbing heart and individuality to each of his nine characters. The verbosity and geniality of his Mr. Micawber in particular is a tour-de-force in itself. The dizzying spin of characters is anchored by Payne’s earnest and endearing David Copperfield.

Amy Lawrence’s movement direction is outstanding: whether leaping from boulder to boulder or riding in a carriage or – most impressively, being beaten by the fearsome Mr. Murdstone (who is hauntingly represented by a large brown top hat and empty coat) – the movement is so precise and believable that the audience becomes willing conspirators with the ensemble, suspending our disbelief and diving headfirst into this brightly painted world. What must have taken hours of disciplined rehearsal looks effortless and fun to us.

It all builds to a delightfully satisfying panto-esque cacophony of characters represented by hats and puppets and actors alike, made possible by the extremely well-oiled transitions these gifted actors have perfected.

To condense a Dickens novel of epic proportions into a two hour play on a miniscule stage is no small feat, and this production is anything but small. In her adaptation, Pickard Price expertly selects the most salient of the many details the book offers, and as a director, she squeezes every juicy morsel out of her talented team to create something that is bursting with fun and colour. Go see it. It is the perfect antidote to the long grey winter that is upon us.

RITA LYNN at the The Turbine Theatre

★★★★

“Nick Bagnall’s staging sharpens the chilling intelligence and intensity of Marwood’s performance, while the attention to detail is extraordinary”

In the semi darkness, Louise Marwood walks back and forth across the stage, the rumble of the trains above the arches resonating like peals of thunder, giving way to the innocent sound of a music box. A nursery rhyme echoes from the walls. A phone rings. A song plays. Then, more silence. The atmosphere is potent.

“You know when you throw something really important away by accident?”. A pause. “I did this with my life”. Immediately we have a taste of the raw honesty, the poignancy and the dark humour of the next hour, as Marwood takes on the persona of Rita Lynn – an accidental life coach. “I tell people how to live… and I’m dying!”. Rita in turn is a pseudonym for Imogen; a spiralling addict who is scraping rock bottom. A failed dance career has left her pockets as empty as her dreams. Heckled by her own thoughts and shackled with a toxic boyfriend, her cocaine fuelled madness leads her to the precipice of suicide. Except “my suicide note was so good, it made me want to live”. The deadpan delivery highlights Marwood’s skill at mixing the absurd with the reality, the laughter with the tears, the self-deprecation with the respect for integrity.

There is no shortage of plays – or films, or books – that portray addiction of one kind or another. What makes Marwood’s writing stand out is the complete lack of victim mentality or self-indulgence. She attacks the material with a deep understanding that permeates her performance. This girl knows what she is talking about. But she doesn’t lecture; she turns her harrowing story of survival into pure anecdotal entertainment.

Imogen, in desperation, attends a job interview for a personal assistant to Helen, a successful architect. Arriving at her home in Hampstead she discovers Helen’s regular therapist hasn’t turned up that day so, on the spur of the moment, passes herself off as the replacement. And so, Rita Lynn is born. The journey that this takes her on is peopled by the colourful, yet tragic, characters that orbit and encourage her chaotic life. Among them, we get to know her best friend, confidant, fellow addict and drag queen, Melian. Her lover Dexter and his four-year-old son Buddy. Although these characters are articulated through pre-recorded voiceovers, it is Marwood’s prose and execution that bring them to life (and in one or two cases, kills them off too).

Nick Bagnall’s staging sharpens the chilling intelligence and intensity of Marwood’s performance, while the attention to detail is extraordinary. Over-sized lines of cocaine mark the various locations on the stage. A plaintive nursery rhyme is occasionally heard, while the opening and closing soundtrack sets the mood with the bluesy strains of New Orleans singer, Irma Thomas, standing by her no-good man. Less successful perhaps are the digressions into pastiche scenarios of American sitcom or vintage TV advertising which, despite being dramatically clever, don’t quite sit with the general flow of the narrative.

As the humour slowly slips back into the silent darkness, we are struck by how close Marwood must be to the character she is portraying on stage. It is a brave undertaking. And it feels unresolved. The lines of cocaine still score the stage, although now smudged and smeared on her clothing. Has she wiped herself clean after all? This is Rita’s story, but the fact that it is also Marwood’s enriches the authenticity and adds vibrance to the comedy and the tragedy. Marwood’s lightness of touch reveals a dark soul. Ultimately this is a story of survival. The applause it earns at curtain call is multi-layered.

Tag Archives: Luke Barton

DAVID COPPERFIELD

★★★★★

Jermyn Street Theatre

DAVID COPPERFIELD

Jermyn Street Theatre

★★★★★

“It all builds to a delightfully satisfying panto-esque cacophony of characters”

DAVID COPPERFIELD

Jermyn Street Theatre

Reviewed on 25th November 2025

by Samantha Karr

Photography by Steve Gregson

Previously reviewed at this venue:

RAGDOLL | ★★★★ | October 2025

EXTRAORDINARY WOMEN | ★★★★★ | July 2025

LITTLE BROTHER | ★★★ | May 2025

OUTLYING ISLANDS | ★★★★ | February 2025

THE MAIDS | ★★★ | January 2025

DAVID COPPERFIELD

DAVID COPPERFIELD

DAVID COPPERFIELD

RITA LYNN

★★★★

The Turbine Theatre

RITA LYNN at the The Turbine Theatre

★★★★

“Nick Bagnall’s staging sharpens the chilling intelligence and intensity of Marwood’s performance, while the attention to detail is extraordinary”