''Dickens' Women'' is a
one person show written by
Miriam Margolyes
Miriam ( he, מִרְיָם ''Mīryām'', lit. 'Rebellion') is described in the Hebrew Bible as the daughter of Amram and Jochebed, and the older sister of Moses and Aaron. She was a prophetess and first appears in the Book of Exodus.
The ...
and Sonia Fraser and starring Margolyes.
The play includes 23 different characters (21 women and 2 men) based on or inspired by characters in
Charles Dickens
Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English writer and social critic. He created some of the world's best-known fictional characters and is regarded by many as the greatest novelist of the Victorian e ...
' novels.
The ''
Sydney Morning Herald'' wrote that the "elegantly crafted production puts the focus on the storyteller" (Dickens), highlighting his "obsession with youthful beauty and his baffling relationships with his sisters-in-law". ''
The Age
''The Age'' is a daily newspaper in Melbourne, Australia, that has been published since 1854. Owned and published by Nine Entertainment, ''The Age'' primarily serves Victoria, but copies also sell in Tasmania, the Australian Capital Territory ...
'' noted that it "combines character sketches, short readings, biographical material and mordant commentary".
The show was developed in 1989 for the
Edinburgh Festival
__NOTOC__
This is a list of arts and cultural festivals regularly taking place in Edinburgh, Scotland.
The city has become known for its festivals since the establishment in 1947 of the Edinburgh International Festival and the Edinburgh Fe ...
,
and Margolyes has taken it on tour worldwide,
including a 2007 tour to
Australia and
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
. Margolyes was nominated for an
Olivier Award
The Laurence Olivier Awards, or simply the Olivier Awards, are presented annually by the Society of London Theatre to recognise excellence in professional theatre in London at an annual ceremony in the capital. The awards were originally known a ...
in 1992 for her original
West End season of the show.
''Dickens' Women'' was taken on a world tour in 2012 as part of the 200th anniversary celebrations of Dickens' birth.
References
1989 plays
British plays
Plays based on works by Charles Dickens
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