NEW YORK CITY—Most lives don’t follow a straight line from cradle to grave. It’s the journey one takes in between that can make it interesting. Case in point: Charles Dickens’s semi-autobiographical work, “David Copperfield.” This coming-of-age story was first published in book form in 1850, and, today, Guilford Shakespeare Company breathes new life into the tale with a delightful stage production at 59E59 Theaters, as part of the theater’s annual “Brits Off Broadway” series.
Adapted by Abigail Pickard Price, Sarah Gobran, and Matt Pinches, and featuring a cast of three, the story is told in flashback by the title character (Eddy Payne), as he looks back on his life. He sees that even the very start of his life seemed displeasing to some, with his horrified Aunt Betsey (Louise Beresford) leaving abruptly upon learning her nephew’s widowed wife gave birth to a boy.
Young Davy, as he was called growing up, had a reasonably happy childhood until his mom’s new husband (Luke Barton), a stern disciplinarian and cruel sort, arranges for him to be sent to boarding school and, later, to work at a counting house. But Davy runs away to seek help from the selfsame aunt who never wanted to lay eyes on him again.
Despite the various hardships he faces, David remains an immensely trusting soul who always sees the best in others, at least until confronted with proof to the contrary. This is demonstrated by a schoolmate who seems to take him under his wing, but who, in reality, uses him as a source of funds from what David receives from home.
Also in this category of the underhanded is Uriah Heep, a seemingly inconsequential man at a legal firm. Actually, he’s more concerned with perverting the law to achieve his own dastardly ends. Through it all, David is able to find deep moments of joy. He meets such people as Agnes, a lawyer’s daughter who becomes his confidante and soulmate, and the always caring Clara Peggotty, David’s childhood nanny. Peggotty eventually introduces David to her own family, all of whom welcome him with open arms.
Of the nearly two dozen characters depicted, just about all present themselves as fully formed from the first moment seen, and the audience can quickly discern their significant characters traits. Ironically, it’s David who is deliberately the blandest of all. This enables him to fully assume the role of an everyman and also takes nothing away from the more colorful characters he encounters, all of whom have an impact on his life. It also allows moments when David exhibits moments of passion, impulsive generosity, bitterness, or simple joy to feel that much more powerful.
“David Copperfield” is a story about second chances. Among those who travel this route are David’s aunt, who eventually becomes his guardian and protector; Emily, a young woman whose desire to be more than she is leads to her initial undoing; and Mr. Micawber, a jovial rogue often barely one step ahead of his creditors. While the latter appears quite willing to do whatever it takes for financial gain, he eventually reaches an ethical line he refuses to cross.
Payne is wonderfully appealing as the mostly subdued Copperfield, who just wants to find his own place in the world. The actor, who is onstage for just about the entire play, projects the air of one who has known and seen great adversity but who continually hope that things will someday be better.
Barton cuts an imposing figure with such characters as Murdstone, Micawber, and Peggotty, along with others that include an alcoholic lawyer, an earnest young sailor, and a quiet older man who takes great pleasure in flying kites. One of Barton’s best moments occurs as Micawber where he exposes the crimes of Uriah Heep in an exaggerated presentation of a legal trial, as Copperfield looks on.
Beresford more than holds her own as she embodies such personas as Emily, Agnes, Uriah, Dora—the woman David determines to marry; the patriarch of the Peggotty family; and Aunt Betsey, who has an interesting backstory of her own. A particularly enjoyable sequence occurs when the three actors are dancing during a pre-wedding celebration, with Barton and Beresford continually changing characters as the music plays.
Price, who also directs the production, demonstrates a firm understanding of what she has helped adapt. She keeps the play moving briskly from one scene to the next. The sound design by Matt Eaton is also quite good.
A must for Dickens fans and a great introduction to the book if one has never read it, “David Copperfield” looks at one man’s life and the effect he has on so many and, conversely, they on him.
‘David Copperfield’
59E59 Theaters
59 E. 59th St., New York
Tickets: 59E59.org
Running time: 2 hours, 15 minutes (one intermission)
Closes: June 28, 2026
What arts and culture topics would you like us to cover? Please email ideas or feedback to features@epochtimes.nyc.
