A perennial favourite on our book shelves and television screens through the winter months, the classic Dickens tale A Christmas Carol has returned to the West End, taking its title from the main character Scrooge, showing at the London Palladium through to January 12th 2013.
This great British year also represents Dickens 200th birthday – and so it seems apt to take a look at the great master’s greatest works and their presence in several shows in London.
One of the most successful West End musicals, Oliver!, was based on Dickens’ novel Oliver Twist, written by Lionel Bart. This was only his second undertaking as an author, yet it is arguably one of the greatest works of fiction to have been produced. The show debuted in London in 1960 and transferred to Broadway 3 years later – enjoying a successful run across the proverbial pond. The show has also undertaken several tours and West End revivals since, the most notable of which showed from 1994-1998 and again in 2008-2011. Interestingly, the rights to Oliver! (both past and future) were sold by Bart a few years after the show’s debut due to financial difficulties he was facing. The buyer, Max Bygraves bought them at an absolute snip for £350 – but went on to sell them later for £250,000, more than seven-fold the original cost, a return that hustlers like Fagin and the Artful Dodger would have been proud of, I’m sure!
Back to the present day, another tribute to Charles Dickens is showing in London for a few more days. The Mystery of Charles Dickens is running at the Playhouse Theatre until Saturday 10th November 2012. The production resonates closely to the readings that Dickens used to give himself. A one-man performance starring Simon Callow taking on the great author himself, the show brings to life more than four dozen of his well-loved characters – reciting the most powerful and poignant passages from his works. The show has been acclaimed as a magnificent homage to England’s greatest novelist.
And now in the lead up to Christmas, the mean and miserly Scrooge returns, along with the well-known apparitions who come to remind us of the important things in life.
Scrooge played by Tommy Steele
Produced by Bill Kenwright, who has staged the show previously in the West End, this production stars the stage veteran Tommy Steele. Steele has appeared at the London Palladium over 1000 times in the past, in Scrooge as well as other shows such as Singin’ in the Rain.
We really hope that the return of this production will set the tone for a wonderful winter-time in London’s West End this year.
