Dickens of a showfor town’s cinema

The town’s Cineworld complex is among 600 cinemas globally to show the first full-scale stage version of Charles Dickens’s work in either the West End or Broadway.

Great Expectations will be shown today (Thursday, February 7) at 6.45pm at CIneworld on the Alma retail park, Derby Road, Chesterfield.

The West End première will star Jack Ellis as Jaggers, Chris Ellison as Magwitch and Paula Wilcox as Miss Havisham. The cast of 13 also includes Paul Nivison as Adult Pip, Grace Rowe as Estella and Taylor Jay-Davies as Young Pip.

Great Expectations, which was originally published between 1 December 1860 and 3 August 1861, has been adapted for the stage by Jo Clifford. She has been working in the theatre for over 30 years, is an author of approximately 80 plays and her work has been translated into several languages and produced throughout the world.

The gala evening coincides with launch of The Dickens Legacy which will distribute shares of the royalties to concerns dealing with issues which Dickens was passionate about, for example, prison reform, adoption, literacy etc.