Following acclaimed performances in 2007, award-winning British actress Miriam Margolyes returns for an encore tour of Australia and New Zealand of her one-woman show, Dickens’ Women.
Dickens’ personality transcends his books and the characters explored in Dickens’ Women were chosen not only because they are some of the most colourful and entertaining characters in Dickens’ writing, but because they were based on real people in his life; people he fought with and cared for, loved and hated.
In this way, the play is as much about the man himself, as it is about the twenty-three characters performed by Margolyes. These characters are drawn from his novels & sketches, including his most popular such as Oliver Twist, Great Expectations and Nicholas Nickleby. Some characters are famous & iconic, others are lesser-known creations from Dickens' books, but all offer a unique glimpse into the real-life Charles Dickens.
Dickens’ popularity has waned little since his death and he remains one of the best known and most read English authors. At least 180 motion pictures and TV adaptations based on Dickens’ works have been produced. However, Margolyes hopes to offer a different and perhaps more critical perspective on the man himself. ‘He’s a surprising man’ she says. ‘Much crueller than people expect, so I hope the show will shock the audience and remove them from the comfort zone people likely expect from Dickens’.
Dickens’ Women was developed by Miriam Margolyes and Sonia Fraser for the 1989 Edinburgh Festival. It has since travelled worldwide, including London, Jerusalem, Santa Cruz, New York, Boston, Sydney, Auckland and all over India. In 1992, Dickens' Women was nominated for the prestigious Olivier Award.
