MANY actors of a high calibre have returned to town for this latest visiting production from ID Plays.

And rather than Charles Dickens’ most famous festive work, it’s an adaptation of the author’s first novel, a rather episodic collection of adventures. So, something different, and yet festive, too, courtesy of two of its key scenes taking place at Christmas.

The cast also perform a very merry Christmas song with gusto during the show and at its conclusion.  

An inauspicious opening, led by Mr Samuel Pickwick (John D Collins, who has an unenviable amount of lines to rattle off) sets up the evening’s entertainment. He and three members of his club, Nathaniel Winkle (Daniel Robinson), Augustus Snodgrass (Scott Gray) and Tracy Tupman (Richard Tate), are setting off to have some adventures, about which they will report back to their fellow Pickwickians.

Of course, they all manage to involve themselves in scrapes and controversies, encountering fair maidens (Poppy Meadows and Melissa Thomas), dastardly gents (primarily David Callister’s terrific Alfred Jingle, who boosts the dramatic momentum) and brushes with the law.

There is much to admire with this production, primarily the good work across the board of the terrific cast.

Rebecca Wheatley delivers a broadly comedic turn as spinster Rachel Wardle and Mrs Leo Hunter. Her brilliant delivery of the latter’s expiring frog song is an undoubted highlight of the evening.   

Dean Gaffney impresses as Pickwick’s manservant Sam Weller, a man prone to delivering witty one-liners. This character was so popular when the novel was first published that a range of Sam Weller merchandise was available, including joke books.

Scenes are linked with effective narration from Nicola Boyce’s adaptation and attractive piano music by Jonathon Morris (of Bread fame).

Elsewhere, Dickens’ character and caricature strokes are captured in fine style; Mr Snodgrass’ laugh is certainly memorable!

Unfortunately, on the night I attended the audience didn’t seem to fully engage with and respond to the real wit of the material, which I wonder is anything to do with the decision to use a raised platform in the centre of the stage for the bulk of the scenes, quite a number of which feature a lot of actors with their back to the audience. 

These actors, whose delivery absolutely reaches the back of the auditorium, deserve a whole stage upon which to promenade the intricacies of their work.

To keep them at this remove seems a bit of a shame.