A Day Out at The Extraordinary Adventures of David Copperfield at Riverside Studios

*AD – this experience was gifted to our household for this post. All opinions, as always, are our own.

Our first time at Riverside Studios did not disappoint, with the amazing performance of The Extraordinary Adventures of David Copperfield, a play completely consisting of three people. Two actors appeared from the entrance door, and started the performance, laughing and making jokes with the audience as if they were one of us. Then, a box got placed in the middle of the stage.

Out of this box came our third actor; David Copperfield. David was the only person to not change character multiple times during the play, staying as himself for clarity. The other two actors had a wonderful time, grabbing simple items and changing their clothing to show who they were. It was a such an amazing sight!

Their mannerisms, accents and general attitudes changed, as they became young children or mean adults. The male presenting actor often played women, with the female presenting actor playing men. Everyone had such a good flow and chemistry together when it came to acting, and everyone was super aware of the audience and the fact that they were in a play, which really made the play feel personal.

The life of David Copperfield is a fast moving one, as you start off with this child being born all the way to him growing up, through his many jobs, travels, and homes. David was kicked out of his home at 10, where he went to a boarding school and then ended up working after his mother died. He spent time visiting parts of England, running away to his estranged aunt, and generally living life as best as he knew how. There was a lot going on in the play; characters appearing and leaving, new places being travelled too, and so many different relationships.

Each scene was captivating, and there was a song or two here and there for you to enjoy that fit in so well with the general play. There were lots of really funny scenes, that had the crowd laughing, and some sad scenes that had everyone watching and waiting to see how David Copperfield would react. In the end, he had a very full life with so much struggle, twists and turns. The actors did a number of great dances, amazing scenes, and felt like they were really enjoying the performance themselves too.

The Riverside Studios theatre was a small one, compared to others we have been around, which did make everything feel much more personal. The seating was unassigned, so you will need to show up early if you want to pick out the best seat! As everything was so close to the stage, it did really feel like you were apart of the show, and with the actors looking directly at you and interacting with you from time to time, it does feel that way! This play is just really enjoyable and so much fun.

You can check out our other Days Out to see what else we’ve been up too!