What better way to get into the holiday spirit than by enjoying a one-man show of Charles Dickens’s much-loved 1843 novella, A Christmas Carol—especially when the performer is Dickens’s own great-great-grandson?
Gerald Roderick Charles Dickens is a gifted professional actor and author who travels from his home in England every autumn and winter to present solo performances of his iconic ancestor’s works at venues across the United States.
On Tuesday, December 9, he’ll perform A Christmas Carol at the Two River Theater in Red Bank, with presentations at 3 and 7 pm.
Gerald Dickens, 62, has written all of the scripts for the Charles Dickens works he performs both here and in his native country. He chooses the most dramatic lines and scenes from the novels, novellas and short stories to adapt for the stage.
In A Christmas Carol, he energetically and often humorously takes on the roles of 26 characters. Each one is clearly defined by changes in his voice, facial expressions, demeanor and movements.
He also pleases his audiences by interacting with them from time to time during the production.
At one show, he whipped off his top hat and playfully placed it on the head of a very surprised spectator. Others in the front row may have been startled when Dickens, in the role of Scrooge prior to his conversion to kindness, ordered them to “Get out of my way!” after he left the stage to engage with his seated viewers.
Audiences will recognize him as the skinflint Ebenezer Scrooge, his long-gone business partner Jacob Marley, the ghosts of Christmas past, present, and future, Bob Cratchit, Tiny Tim, and even a few women like Belle, Scrooge’s lost love.
Tickets for the shows can be purchased at Two River Theater’s website. Some may also be available at the door. Both of the performances will benefit the Historic Village at Allaire in Farmingdale. His American tour is sponsored by Byers’ Choice Ltd.
Don’t delay—Gerald Dickens has announced that, after 30 years of live solo performances of his great-great-grandfather’s works for nearly three months a year across the United States, this will serve as his farewell tour due to his wish to spend more time with his family in England.
