Charles Dickens' Prolific Work Comes to Several Austin Stages

There's more than Scrooge on Austin stages this holiday season – which is just as his creator would want it

"...in A Christmas Carol aren't the only creations of Charles Dickens to step into the spotlight this holiday season...."

Nov. 23, 2018 Arts Feature by Robert Faires

The Ghosts of Dickens' Past

"...The story is a fictionalized account of the process Charles Dickens underwent in order to write his enduring classic,..."

Feb. 19, 1999 Movie Review by Marjorie Baumgarten

Dueling Dickens

Two productions of a seasonal classic raise the spirits, with Zach Theatre's A Christmas Carol vs. Penfold Theatre's A Christmas Carol Classic Radiocast

"...You know the story. Set in mid-19th-century London, Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol is a morality tale about..."

Dec. 16, 2022 Arts Feature by Bob Abelman

The Invisible Woman

The woman who must remain invisible in this drama is Nelly Ternan, an actress who's not only the mistress of married Charles Dickens, but also 27 years his junior.

"...British drama The Invisible Woman depicts the relationship between Charles Dickens and his young mistress, Nelly Ternan, a fledgling..."

Jan. 24, 2014 Movie Review by Steve Davis

The Muppet Christmas Carol

The Muppets bring cheer to Ebenezer Scrooge.

"...Henson. Starring: Michael Caine. So many cinematic versions of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol have come and gone over..."

Dec. 11, 1992 Movie Review by Pamela Bruce

The Man Who Invented Christmas

How Charles Dickens created Ebenezer Scrooge

"...gets the origin-story treatment. In the fall of 1843, Charles Dickens (Stevens) was in a slump: Three failed attempts..."

Nov. 21, 2017 Movie Review by Danielle White

Oliver Twist

Some may doubt the need to once more bring Dickens’ tale to the screen, but Polanski’s deft adaptation proves that there’s still life in that well-worn story of a boy who beats the odds.

"...and Mark Strong. This faithful and unsentimental adaptation of Charles Dickens’ beloved novel Oliver Twist may initially seem an..."

Oct. 7, 2005 Movie Review by Steve Davis

Different Stages' Great Expectations

In this retelling of the Charles Dickens novel, a visible love of narrative is the show's greatest strength

"...can also astonish. In addition to preserving those from Charles Dickens' novel, the playwright has kept the larger story..."

Nov. 30, 2018 Arts Review by Robert Faires

Nicholas Nickleby

Charles Dickens' picaresque teems with wonderful performances and bright direction by McGrath (who also did the same for Jane Austen in Emma).

"...Juliet Stevenson, Timothy Spall, Romola Garai and Hugh Mitchell. Charles Dickens' 1939 novel is here adapted into a charming..."

Jan. 10, 2003 Movie Review by Marjorie Baumgarten

Oliver & Company

"...There's a lot right with this updated version of Charles Dickens' Oliver Twist, in which abandoned kitty Oliver (Lawrence)..."

Nov. 18, 1988 Movie Review by Marie Mahoney

Exhibitionism

Dickens' a Tale of Two Cities: Immediate, Raw Storytelling

"......"

March 5, 1999 Arts Review

Austin Playhouse's The Mystery of Edwin Drood

This musical production makes for an effervescent alternative to that other Dickens holiday show

"...the artist. But in the case of celebrated novelist Charles Dickens' demise, the result is comedic...."

Nov. 30, 2018 Arts Review by Bob Abelman

Zach Theatre's A Christmas Carol

This slick and polished musical adaptation of the Dickens classic serves up holiday cheer in abundance

"...that Zach Theatre has woven into and spun from Charles Dickens' classic...."

Dec. 22, 2017 Arts Review by Shanon Weaver

From the Ridiculous to the Sublime

How do you take Charles Dickens' Oliver Twist and, in less than a month, condense it into a 100-minute one-man play, with the actor playing 20 characters from the novel plus a New York City drag queen? Everett Quinton and Eureka, veterans of the fabled Ridiculous Theatre Company and creators of Twisted Olivia, explain how they did it.

"...is a star alumnus of the Ridiculous Theatrical Company, Charles Ludlam's fabled New York stage troupe, which built its..."

Feb. 28, 2003 Arts Feature by Robert Faires

Land of 1,000 Dramas

Venues

"...the third, Junior Blues, later this year. Past Premieres: Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities (Kirk Smith), Goin' to..."

March 12, 1999 Arts Feature

Author by Author

Notable Folks in Their Own Write

"...stand proudly in their place alongside those created by Charles Dickens. Through his masterful storytelling, Carey gives us an..."

May 1, 1998 Books Feature

Review: Hideout Theatre’s Bah, Humbug!

Fun Dickensian long-form is a short-term cure for the pandemic blues

"...It didn't take long for Charles Dickens' five Yuletide tales to catch on as secular..."

Dec. 24, 2021 Arts Feature by Bob Abelman

The Personal History of David Copperfield

Dickens’ hero gets a lively and innovative new interpretation

"...soul. It was a central theme of Victorian heavyweight Charles Dickens’ writings, and one that is the through line..."

Aug. 28, 2020 Movie Review by Josh Kupecki

A Christmas Carol

Two rather different versions of 'A Christmas Carol' illustrate the power still to be tapped from Charles Dickens' ghostly little book

"...which illustrate the power still to be tapped from Charles Dickens' ghostly little book...."

Dec. 17, 2004 Arts Review by Robert Faires

Charles Dickens Unleashed

Schmaltzy Victorian costume-drama improv, gamely and rather adroitly rendered

"...Charles Dickens Unleashed..."

Jan. 1, 2010 Arts Review by Wayne Alan Brenner

The Charles Dickens Masterworks Collection

Muck and maggots and food slopping down chins, or: The World According to the Original Chuck D

"...The Charles Dickens Masterworks CollectionBBC Warner, $119.99..."

June 19, 2009 Screens Review by Kimberley Jones

The Mystery of Edwin Drood

Rupert Holmes' adaptation of 'The Mystery of Edwin Drood' has more to do with Victorian music hall entertainment than Dickensian literature – and is all the more engaging for it

"..."Droo-oo-oo-duh!" The actors in this theatrical adaptation of Charles Dickens' final novel have a very specific way of..."

June 10, 2005 Arts Review by Robert Faires

The Good Eye: Girl, Illustrated

The fine lines between the lines

"...to have disgraced himself by claiming creative credit for Charles Dickens' Oliver Twist, which he illustrated in its original..."

Jan. 30, 2015 Column by Amy Gentry

A Christmas Carol

In this version of A Christmas Carol presented by Second Youth Family Theatre, actors use minimal pieces of set and costumes to conjure the many places and characters of Dickens' familiar tale and move through the text with intense focus, knowing exactly what story they need to tell and telling it well.

"...presented by Christopher Schario in this adaptation of the Charles Dickens tale, after being taken on a journey through..."

Dec. 20, 2002 Arts Review by Barry Pineo

Exhibitionism

Clay Angels: The Mystery of Brotherly Love

"...a fitting destiny for these paintings. -- Cari Marshall Charles Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities: Engaging From the..."

Aug. 1, 1997 Arts Review

Rattling Our Stage

A Survey of Austin's Rebel Theatre Scene

"...in The Pitchfork Disney, and an altruistic gentryman in Charles Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities. Patterson dissolves into..."

April 10, 1998 Arts Feature

Postmarks

Good News, Bad News

"...Charles Burmeister..."

Feb. 6, 1998 Column

Day Trips & Beyond: November Travel Roundup

Port A's Harvey recovery, Millican's pecan pie, and fall travel news

"...Tickets are on sale for Dickens on the Square, formerly known as Dickens on the..."

Nov. 6, 2020 Travel Post by Gerald E. McLeod

Mrs. Bob Cratchit's Wild Christmas Binge

Different Stages drives Mrs. Bob Cratchit's Wild Christmas Binge, a holiday spoof by Christopher Durang, like a kamikaze hayride into a merry miscellany of Christmas entertainments

"...the most venerable (albeit not the oldest) Christmas tales: Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol and Frank Capra's It's a..."

Dec. 1, 2006 Arts Review by Patti Hadad

Luv Doc Recommends: Louisiana Swamp Thing and Crawfish Festival

MLK & Congress, Saturday, March 31, 2007

"...highly omnivorous – either that or they're starving. As Charles Dickens once said, "Hunger is the finest sauce in..."

March 30, 2007 Column by The Luv Doc

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