Credit: Steve Gregson
If you’ve ever fancied Dickens with a bit of fizz, mischief and a healthy dose of theatrical swagger, then pop the kettle on and listen up. David Copperfield is packing its trunks and rolling into Guildford in February 2026 – and trust me, this is not your dusty-library, stiff-upper-lip Dickens. This is Dickens with sparkle in his eye and a spring in his step.
Running Friday 6th – Saturday 28th February 2026 at the wonderfully atmospheric Holy Trinity Church, High Street, Guildford (GU1 3RR), with a press night on Tuesday 10th February, Guildford Shakespeare Company brings Dickens’ most beloved (and most autobiographical) creation home as part of its celebratory 20th Anniversary Season. And what a way to mark it.
Fresh from an acclaimed London premiere, this high-spirited, three-actor adaptation is a proper theatrical whirlwind. No one ever leaves the stage (honestly – blink and you’ll miss a costume change), and more than 20 characters burst into life in dizzying succession. Suitcases pop open, hats get whipped on and off, puppetry sneaks in, and before you know it you’ve been whisked from windswept Yarmouth to the bustle of London, meeting a gallery of Dickens’ most iconic creations along the way – Peggotty, Betsey Trotwood, the gloriously slippery Uriah Heep, and the eternally hopeful Mr Micawber, to name just a few.
At its heart, David Copperfield is a story about resilience and the people who shape us – even when life throws schools, workhouses and formidable guardians into the mix (cheers for that, Victorian England). But this production leans gleefully into the joy of the tale: its wit, warmth, colour and that irrepressible sense of possibility that keeps David going.
The 2026 tour also takes in Windsor Theatre Royal and Ipswich New Wolsey Theatre before settling in Guildford, where Holy Trinity Church will be transformed into a stage for this unforgettable cast. The production reunites writer-director Abigail Pickard Price (who previously wowed audiences with The Hound of the Baskervilles and Macbeth at The Watermill Theatre), working once again with the same creative team behind GSC’s internationally acclaimed Pride & Prejudice.
Following the company’s successful 2024 multi-venue Romeo and Juliet, the cast features Eddy Payne (Richard II, GSC; Romeo & Juliet, Grosvenor Park Open Air Theatre) as David Copperfield, joined by Luke Barton (Pride and Prejudice, GSC; Frankenstein, Blackeyed Theatre) and Louise Beresford (Present Laughter & Noises Off, Frinton; Magic Goes Wrong, Apollo Theatre), who together conjure an entire universe with lightning-fast shapeshifting and irresistible comic ingenuity.
GSC Co-Founder and Producer Matt Pinches says:
“It has been such a privilege to bring Dickens’ most autobiographical novel to life, and to see the wonderful response it has had with its London premiere. The prospect of opening our 20th Anniversary Year with this enchanting and playful adaptation is very exciting, as it really encapsulates everything GSC is about – classic storytelling with vibrant theatricality.”
And honestly? He’s not wrong. This is Dickens reimagined with heart, humour and a twinkle – the kind of show that reminds you why stories endure, why theatre matters, and why a few hats and a suitcase can still work absolute magic.
Right then – I’ll pop this one neatly back into my satchel, with a big red star scribbled next to it. Catch it while it’s in town… or risk me saying “I told you so” later
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