A premature spring clean will see sheaves of cobwebs and decomposing wedding cake removed from the Vaudeville theatre’s stage later this month as Great Expectations is set to end its West End run on 30 March.
Graham McClaren’s production, which was originally booking to 1 June, arrived in London in February following a UK tour and marked the first time that Charles Dickens’ classic novel has ever been staged as a full-length play in the West End or on Broadway.
Adapted for the stage by leading Scottish playwright Jo Clifford, Dickens’ tale about a young orphan who is given a new start in life by a mysterious benefactor features a cast including Chris Ellison, Jack Ellis, Paul Nivison and Paula Wilcox.
Talking of the show’s closure, producer Bruce Athol MacKinnon said: “It is with great sadness that Great Expectations has closed earlier than planned. The current financial climate has made producing independently in the commercial sector even harder despite our 90% audience approval rating.”
It has not yet been announced what will follow Dickens’ well-known tale into the Vaudeville theatre, but later in the year the venue will host the West End return of Graham Linehan’s award-winning comedy The Ladykillers, which will play from 29 June to 26 October.