What do you think about Mr Pickwick? Or Miss Havisham? Or Oliver Twist?
I invite all readers of Dickens to not only read my commentary on each of the novels, but to also read along with me and leave your own comments. Just click on the Reader’s Forum category on the right and you’ll get a list of all my posts on the novels.
Charles Dickens Reading "The Chimes" at 58 Lincoln's Inn Fields on the Second of December, 1844. From a Sketch by Daniel Maclise, R.A
7 comments
Jude Maccready says:
Nov 13, 2011
A great endeavor and one I have tried myself although limiting my reading to all the novels (took me 8 months). Good luck! Am wondering if you may be struggling with Sketches? Does seem to be taking longer than Pickwick. Be good to hear about your struggles as well as your easier reads. Not an easy task this one and it would be interesting to know about when you are finding it a bit of a chore and how you get over it. Good wishes – Jude Maccready
CJ Fearnley says:
Jan 24, 2012
To do Oliver Twist, I decided to listen to Librivox: http://librivox.org/oliver-twist-version-4-by-charles-dickens/
The first four chapters were exquisite (both Dickens and the reading by T Hynes). I would get more out of it by reading it myself. But time limitations (I can speed up audio in my audio player) and curiosity (never listed to Librivox before) prevailed. Is anyone else listening to Oliver instead of reading it?
Looking forward to the Salon on Feb 16th: http://libwww.freelibrary.org/calendar/calbydateDickens.cfm?ID=31563&SeriesID=dickens
Edward says:
Feb 7, 2012
You’ll have to let me know what your experience was like listening. I’ve considered using an audio book for one of the reads, but haven’t made the commitment yet.
CJ Fearnley says:
Feb 8, 2012
Edward, the T. Hynes reading of Oliver is excellent! His voice is clear and he does “voices” for the characters. Exquisite! I suspect he is either a professional actor or at least a highly competent amateur.
I think reading is better, more thorough, and more reflective. When Dickens gets philosophical, it is hard for my auditory processing system to feel the meaning as deeply as if I were reading it. And sometimes my attention wanders and I either back up or realize that I can get the gist of the story without getting all the details. But overall, the experience is very nice.
I’m also planning to watch the I.E. Chadwick 1933 version of “Oliver Twist” which is a free download from archive.org. But I want to finish listening to it first. Finished Chapter 34 last night.
CJ Fearnley says:
Feb 15, 2012
Finished Oliver last night. The T. Hynes recording is great. Very theatrical. Very few words are unclear. Though I would have gotten more out of it by reading it. That would have taken longer, I think. I preferred Pickwick. Dickens is a gripping story teller. Nice philosophical interludes. Social criticism abounds. Though our age also needs social criticism much of Dickens’ no longer applies.
Tonight I plan on watching I.E. Chadwick’s 1 hour and 10 minute film Oliver Twist from 1933.
Looking forward to the discussion tomorrow night. I see that tickets sold out and Jeannie has family members in from out of town. We’ll see how that works.
CJ Fearnley says:
Feb 17, 2012
As we discussed at the Salon, the Chadwick film really shreds the plot. Jeannie liked it, but I was disappointed. The filmography is so 1930s, so that is a distraction too. Some of the lines are direct quotes and some of the scenes are accurate. But it was very disorienting after listening to an authentic version on Librivox.
drood musical says:
May 5, 2012
http://www.droodwestend.com/
The acclaimed London revival of the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, staged to celebrate the 200th anniversary of Charles Dickens’ birth, is to transfer to the West End after a successful run at the Landor Theatre in south London. The Mystery of Edwin Drood, based on Dickens’ final unfinished novel, with book, music and lyrics by Rupert Holmes, directed by Matthew Gould, will get a 4-week season at the Arts Theatre from Friday 18 May – Sunday 17 June.
The Mystery of Edwin Drood won five Tony Awards, including Best Musical, Best Book and Best Original Score, as well as 9 Drama Desk Awards, on its Broadway premiere in 1986. A thrilling and comical play within a play set in the world of music hall and pantomime, it follows the exploits of characters from the Theatre Royale Music Hall Company as they set about completing the unfinished story of Edwin Drood – with a little singalong help from the audience along the way. Who is the killer? The audience decides each night – and there are 525 possible
endings!
Wendi Peters, best known for playing Cilla Battersby-Brown in Coronation Street, heads the cast. It also includes Natalie Day (Les Miserables, Queens), Victoria Farley (Les Miserables, Barbican), Daniel Robinson (Jekyll & Hyde, UK Tour), Loula Geater, David Francis, Denis Delahunt, Richard Stirling, Christopher Coleman, Oliver Mawdsley, Paul Hutton, Tom Pepper, and Ben Goffe.
Rupert Holmes spent his early childhood in England. At the age of three, his first experience of theatre was a pantomime, complete with cross-dressing lead boy and audience sing-alongs. Then, as an 11- year-old boy fascinated by mystery books, he discovered the unfinished Dickens novel. Both of those seminal experiences would go on to have a major impact on him when he was first approached to write a new musical by New York impresario Joseph Papp. The result was The Mystery of Edwin Drood,
starring Cleo Laine and Betty Buckley, which opened at Papp’s legendary New York Shakespeare Festival in August 1985, and then transferred to Broadway, where it ran more than 600 performances.
Holmes is also a well-known popular songwriter whose songs had been performed by the likes of Barbra Streisand, and who had himself recorded the No1 hit Escape (The Piña Colada Song) in 1979.
Listings information
The Mystery of Edwin Drood
Arts Theatre
Great Newport Street
London WC2
Friday 18 May – Sunday 17 June
Tuesday – Saturday at 7.30pm
Thursday & Saturday at 3.00pm
Sunday at 4.00pm
Tickets:
£10.00 – £40.00
Previews
Friday 18 – Sunday 20
May all seats £20.00
http://www.artstheatre.com
Box office:
020 7836 8463