Dickens Abridged at Durham

FROM Adam Long, founding member of The Reduced Shakespeare Company and co-creator of The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged) comes Dickens Abridged – a fast-paced musical comedy which is touring to Durham's Gala Theatre in October. An absurdly talented cast of four bring hundreds of the great author’s best-loved characters to life in 70 minutes of madcap Dickensian mayhem.

This show providess a high-speed comic journey through Dickens' greatest hits, including Oliver Twist, Great Expectations (complete with flaming bride), David Copperfield, Bleak House in less than 60 seconds, A Tale of Two Cities featuring a fully functioning guillotine, Nicholas Nickleby, The Old Curiosity Shop, and, of course... A Christmas Carol.

It also delves into the bizarre-but-true story of Charles Dickens’ own life, including his complicated romantic entanglements and his inexplicable enthusiasm for performing the bludgeoning scene from Oliver Twist over and over and over again.

A singing, dancing love-letter to the life and works of the great man and unlike any Dickens-based show audiences will have ever seen before.

* Durham Gala, Tuesday, October 13. Box Office: 0191-332-4041 or galadurham.co.uk

Viv Hardwick