(Beverly Hills, CA January 23) Kneehigh founder and owner of the world’s most malleable face David Mynne brings his extraordinary one-man portrayal of Charles Dickens’s Great Expectationsto the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts (The Wallis) for six performances only in February. With just a suitcase, bowler hat, tiny forge, candlestick, mirror and some cloth, Mynne tells the gothic tale of Pip’s journey through life and his great expectations at the hands of a mystery benefactor. Directed by fellow Kneehigh colleague Simon Harvey, Great Expectations will be performed in the Lovelace Studio Theater from Thursday, February 8 through Sunday, February 11.
“David Mynne’s storytelling is at once theatrically compelling and completely accessible to all,” said Paul Crewes, The Wallis’ Artistic Director. “I worked with David for many years at Kneehigh and he can do anything, including taking Dickens’s 544-page novel of almost 40 characters and create a breathtaking and moving solo performer show. It is definitely one not-to-be-missed this season.”
Single tickets are now available for $40. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit TheWallis.org/GE, call 310.746.4000, or stop by in person at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts Ticket Services located at 9390 N. Santa Monica Blvd., Beverly Hills, CA 90210. Ticket prices subject to change.
The Wallis also offers three different options to subscribe to the 2017/18 season: the Premium Subscription Series; the Design-Your-Own option; and the new 3-show Flex Pass for $99, created especially for busy young professionals—39 and younger—giving the most flexibility to join The Wallis family of subscribers. Learn more at TheWallis.org/Subscribe.
About Great Expectations:
Expertly edited from the Charles Dickens’s original 1860 text, Mynne portrays all of the novel’s colorful characters including terrifying Magwitch, kindly Joe Gargery, eccentric Miss Havisham, cold and beautiful Estella, pompous lawyer Mr. Jaggers and Pip’s wise and spluttering friend Herbert Pocket. Providing all the sound effects himself, Mynne traverses the difficult line of staying true to the story but adding some modern-day anarchy, thanks to his natural ability for physical comedy, and keeping it as strangely spooky as the original tale.
“Our shows are truly small scale, developed and created between Simon Harvey and myself, with initial input from Andrew McPherson,” said Mynne. “My aim is to tell great stories in an interesting, exciting and accessible way. Working with the minimum of staging and props, I want to take the audience on a journey, just using my voice and their imagination.
About David Mynne and Simon Harvey:
David Mynne (Performer / Co-adapter) is an actor and designer based in Penzance, Cornwall. He is a founding member of Kneehigh and has worked with the company—as a performer, maker and graphic designer—on and off for the last 35 years, appearing in many of their productions. In 2013 David created Charles Dickens’s Great Expectations, his first solo show. He worked with director Simon Harvey to develop an original style of storytelling that is exciting, accessible and easy to tour. Since then David has toured three further one-man shows—Bram Stoker’s Dracula!, Homer’s The Odyssey (Greek stuff!) and Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol—all with Simon as director and co-writer. In 2018 he will be working with Kneehigh again, reprising his role as Jake Santee in FUP.
Simon Harvey (Director / Co-adapter) is a freelance director based in Truro, Cornwall. He is the Artistic Director of o-region for whom he directed Laughing Gas (Darke, Grose), One Dark Night and The Dead Monkey (Nick Darke) and Stay Brave Brian Gravy (Carl Grose). o-region is currently developing STORM by Callum Mitchel which will tour in 2019. Simon is an Associate Director of Kneehigh. His work as Associate includes: Steptoe and Son, The Red Shoes, Brief Encounter and 946: The Amazing Story of Adolphus Tips. His work as Director includes: Noyes Fludde (in collaboration with Orchestival) and FUP (which he also adapted). Great Expectations was Simon’s first collaboration with David Mynne. They have gone on to produce and tour Dracula!, The Odyssey (Greek Stuff!) and A Christmas Carol.
About the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts:
Since opening its doors in October 2013, The Wallis has produced or presented more than 150 dance, theatre, opera, classical music and family programs to an ever-expanding audience. Under the leadership of Artistic Director Paul Crewes and Managing Director Rachel Fine, The Wallis brings audiences world-class theater, dance and music, performed by many of the world’s most talented and sought-after artists. Featuring eclectic programming that mirrors the diverse landscape of Los Angeles and its notability as the entertainment capital of the world, The Wallis offers original and revered works from across the U.S. and around the globe.
The mission of The Wallis is to create, present and celebrate unique performing arts events and educational programs that reflect the rich cultural diversity of our community. Nominated for 47 Ovation Awards, four L.A. Drama Critic’s Circle Awards and the recipient of six architectural awards, The Wallis is a breathtaking 70,000-square-foot venue that celebrates the classic and the modern and was designed by Zoltan E. Pali, FAIA of Studio Pali Fekete architects. The building features the restored, original 1933 Beverly Hills Post Office (on the National Register of Historic Places) that serves as the theater’s dramatic yet welcoming lobby, and houses the 150-seat Lovelace Studio Theater, GRoW at The Wallis: A Space for Arts Education (a gift of Gregory Annenberg Weingarten and Family and the Annenberg Foundation) and the contemporary 500-seat, state-of-the-art Bram Goldsmith Theater. Together, these structures embrace the city’s history and its future, creating a performing arts destination for L.A.-area visitors and residents alike.
The Official Sponsors of The Wallis’ 2017/18 Season include: Delta Air Lines (Official Airline Sponsor), Montage Beverly Hills (Preferred Hotel) and Mercedes-Benz of Beverly Hills (Official Automotive Sponsor).
For more information about The Wallis, please visit: TheWallis.org.
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TICKET INFORMATION:
What:
Great Expectations
Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts
Bram Goldsmith Theater
9390 N. Santa Monica Blvd, Beverly Hills, CA, 90210
When:
Thursday, February 8 & Friday, February 9 at 8pm
Saturday, February 10 at 2:30pm & 8pm
Sunday, February 11 at 2:30pm & 7:30pm
Tickets:
Single tickets: $40 (prices subject to change)
Online – TheWallis.org/GE
By Phone – 310.746.4000
Box Office – Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts Ticket Services
9390 N. Santa Monica Blvd, Beverly Hills, CA, 90210
