By Mary Ellen Mitchell
Gerald Dickens’ electrifying one-man stage show, A Christmas Carol, returns this December for the last act in the First State, with shows at Winterthur Museum and Lewes Public Library. Dickens will draw the final curtain on his American tour at the end of this year, in order to spend more time with family while continuing to tour across the pond.
Garbed in Victorian-era costume and using only a few props, Dickens dynamically plays all 26 roles in his great-great-grandfather’s vivid tale of yuletide redemption, including Scrooge, the Cratchits, Fezziwig, and the ghosts of Christmas past, present and future. “There’s a bit of each of us in every one of the characters,” he says.
Beyond the holiday season, Dickens performs one-man shows of his famous ancestor’s many other literary masterpieces, including Doctor Marigold, Great Expectations, Nicholas Nickleby and The Signalman.
Humble Beginnings
Dickens and his three siblings grew up in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, about 30 miles southeast of London. Although he was shy as a young boy, he fell in love with the stage while playing a whimsical part in the school play at Huntleys Secondary School for Boys, where he found his voice.
He went on to earn acting awards throughout his formative years in school and also participated in a local theater group called Design Theatre Workshop. As a student at West Kent College, where he studied drama, Dickens learned how to delve into a text and explore the nature of its characters. After graduation, he decided to pursue a career in theater.
“My dad worked as a publisher, and he was an expert on all things Charles Dickens,” Dickens says. “He always told us, ‘It’s fine to do whatever you want in life — just do it the best you can.’ And then he would sit back with a little glint in his eye and say, ‘But, you know — Dickens will get you in the end.’ He was absolutely right.”
Discovering The Magic
“The first time I remember hearing a reading of A Christmas Carol, I was about 5, at home on Christmas with my parents and siblings,” Dickens says. “My aunt, uncle, and two cousins came to stay, and my uncle sat us all down and read us the story.”
“When he came to the end, I remember being absolutely astounded that it all happened one night, yet Scrooge hadn’t missed Christmas. This is the sort of emotion I’ve tried to capture in my shows.”
In fact, he says, “Charles Dickens was an amateur magician who loved performing for family and friends. I’ve always seen this as one of his greatest conjuring tricks: He led us in one direction, but at the end, he produces a rabbit from his hat.”
Another pivotal moment in his career came on New Years Eve, 1980, when Dickens’ father took the family to see a theatrical adaptation of Nicholas Nickleby, performed by The Royal Shakespeare Company of Britain. “I didn’t want to go. I was 19 at the time and felt that I shouldn’t have been sitting in a theater watching a Charles Dickens play on New Year’s Eve,” he says.
“But from the opening curtain, it all suddenly made sense: Dickens was theatrical — and theater had always been my passion. I sat on the edge of my seat for the entire show, and that’s when my great-great-grandfather really made an impression on me. I recognized this sort of kindred theatrical spirit.”
After graduating from college, Dickens performed with various amateur theater groups in his hometown, until a fateful encounter several years later determined his destiny.
In 1993, celebrations ran throughout the U.K. commemorating 150 years since Charles Dickens published and performed his first reading of A Christmas Carol. “A representative from a local charity came to me with the idea of recreating his reading as a fundraising opportunity,” Dickens recalls.
At first, he was reluctant to get involved but soon realized the inherent theatricality of the writing. “This was a script from the heavens,” Dickens says. “For any actor reading those words and having those characters to portray, it was just magic. And that’s where I started, some 33 years ago.”
A Holiday Tradition
Performing his prolific ancestor’s classic Christmas story for over three decades has enabled Dickens to recognize and become acquainted with entire generations of repeat show-goers. For legions of devoted fans, his performance never gets old, especially when he makes subtle phrasing and pacing changes during a tour.
“I try to just go with the flow as the audience and venue dictates, which is one of the reasons I love doing the one-man show,” Dickens says. “I’m proud to be able to continue Charles Dickens’ legacy — not that he needs us, you know.”
— Performances at Winterthur are Dec. 10 (1pm) and Dec. 11 (1pm and 6pm). The performance at Lewes Elementary School is Dec. 12 (7pm). Visit GeraldDickens.org
Above: Gerald Dickens’ first performance of his ancestor’s classic was as a fundraiser for a local charity. Photos by Ian Dickens