What the Dickens? It’s A Christmas Carol

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Swindon Travel Hub

After a successful UK tour over Christmas 2016, European Arts Company returns with their authentic adaptation of A Christmas Carol.

Few people know that Charles Dickens originally wanted to be an actor and A Christmas Carol was the first public performance he gave of his own work. After his opening night he said, “The success was most wonderful and prodigious perfectly overwhelming and astounding altogether!” Dickens enacted the work over 150 times and the effect on the public was phenomenal; he had a magnetic stage presence, riveting eyes, expressive voice and wonderful powers of characterisation. Remarkably, Dickens made more money from his readings than all his novels and stories put together.

This exciting production, adapted from Dickens own public reading scripts and eyewitness accounts of him on stage , recreates the spirit of Dickens original performances. Actor, John O’Connor lives in Rochester where Dickens grew up and set many of his stories including Great Expectations , David Copperfield, The Pickwick Papers and The Mystery of Edwin Drood. O’Connor says, I’m delighted to be touring again in A Christmas Carol. Dickens himself toured all over the UK and America performing the story and it’s wonderful to follow in his legendary footsteps. The reaction to the show last year was a delight and there will be laughs, tears and plenty of Christmas cheer.

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Dickens was passionately interested in the welfare of the poor and children in particular and m any of his early readings were for charity . Doctor Thomas Barnardo was a contemporary of Dickens and was inspired to set up his first Ragged School partly as a result of Dickens’ writings and campaigning.. This tour is in aid of the children’s charity Barnardo’s . The 2017 tour includes stops in Bath, Cambridge and Brighton where Dickens himself did a reading at the Brighton Pavilion on 9th November 1861..

Sue Westbury, Barnardo’s, comments,“We are delighted that A Christmas Carol is touring once again to delight theatre goers in the run up to Christmas. Barnardo’s supports the most vulnerable and disadvantaged children across the UK and Christmas is a poignant time to remember those children and young people who are less fortunate. We are grateful to European Arts Company for supporting Barnardo’s and helping to raise vital funds.”

This Christmas, experience what it must have been like to be in the audience in the 1800s. Enjoy a seasonal treat in the spirit of Christmas past, present and future.

A Christmas Carol will be at Swindon Arts Centre on 5th December -information and tickets HERE

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