Legendary author Charles Dickens captured the spirit of Christmas 155 years ago with his tale of tightfisted Ebenezer Scrooge in the classic A Christmas Carol.
Today, Gerald Charles Dickens, 35, the author's great-great-grandson, captures the spirit again with his staged retelling of the famous story.
Dickens performed all 26 characters from A Christmas Carol in Fine form at an afternoon tea Sunday at the Renaissance Vinoy Resort's Sunset Ballroom on Shell Isle. Dickens staged the work a second time between courses of a holiday dinner Sunday night.
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| After the tea's offering of cookies and beverages (the expected finger sandwiches and pastries were conspicuously missing, leaving some audience members grumbling), Dickens quickly captivated the room. In his introduction, he stated simply that A Christmas Carol was his great-great-grandfather's favorite piece, then launched into the tale.
Dickens gave Scrooge just the right amount of feisty spirit and gravely voiced grouch. His Bob Cratchit was high-pitched and nervous. The ghosts of Christmas past, present and future ranged from ethereal to jovial to the grimly silent specter of death. Dickens worked the room, teasing members of the audience and using gestures and expressions to bring some of the quaint Victorian phrasing to life.
Dickens, a professional actor in England, first performed A Christmas Carol for its 150th anniversary in 1993 and began performing the tale of holiday tours in the United Stated three years ago. His Victorian dress of top hat, vest and tails, his clipped British accent and more-than-adequate acting skills drew listeners young and old into the heart of Scrooge's experiences. The set ws simple, consisting of a wing chair, small table, and hat rack. There was no stage lighting to speak of and the clip-on microphone had a constant buzz.
None of that seemed to matter much, however, as Dickens took the audience on a nostalgic ride. His natural British accent and obvious love for the tale lent it a magical quality. |
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