Musical exceeds many expectations

According to the program, “Great Expectations,” the new musical based on Dickens’ classic about Pip, the orphan whose life is transformed by a mysterious benefactor, is a “developmental” production. The adaptation, though excellent, may still need a tweak or two, but there’s nothing developmental about Jules Aaron’s beautifully burnished staging -- a crowning achievement for this veteran director. In fact, as you watch Dickens’ beloved story unfold at the Hudson Backstage theater, you may get the sense that you are in on the ground floor of an important new work.

“Expectations” is based on the original adaptation by Margaret Hoorneman, a 94-year-old retired Iowa schoolteacher who taught the novel for many decades. Impressed with Hoorneman’s draft, her grandson Brian VanDerWilt and his writing partner Steve Lozier teamed with composer Richard Winzeler and lyricist Steve Lane to augment the original. The result, under the guidance of Aaron, abetted by Winzeler, the inspired musical director who also leads the dynamic live band, is, with few exceptions, magnificent.

This monumental effort is -- what else? -- Dickensian in scope, with so many exceptional elements that it’s difficult to single out just a few. Set and lighting designer Adam Blumenthal gets high marks for his evocatively bleak set. Shon LeBlanc’s costumes are also first-rate, although Estella (lovely, rich-voiced Shannon Warne) needs a petticoat under her see-through skirt.

As Pip, Adam Simmons is both stalwart protagonist and straight man for the extravagantly colorful characters that revolve around him. From the exceptional child performers to the more seasoned stage vets, this is a dream cast that attacks Dickens’ sprawling saga with vigor and authority. Towering above them all is Ellen Crawford’s Miss Havisham, a lambent portrayal that ranges from spite to anguished repentance.

It’s rather sad that there are scant opportunities to hear the full chorus, which raises the roof in the rousing first act title number. Also, the piece cries out for a full-bodied, full-chorus denouement, rather than its current small-scale ending. A boffo curtain number would be a fitting punctuation point to this grippingly well-told tale.

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‘Great Expectations’

Where: Hudson Backstage, 6539 Santa Monica Blvd., Hollywood

When: 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, 2 p.m. Sundays. Also 7 p.m. April 20

Ends: April 27

Price: $20

Contact: (323) 960-4442

Running time: 2 hours, 30 minutes