Dickensblog

7 Quick Takes Friday

• The much-anticipated new London stage production of Great Expectations opened last night. The Londonist has a review of this "Tim Burton-esque take." And Glamour has a brief report that focuses on the costume design. They have a nice photo of Grace Rowe as Estella.
• Speaking of Great Expectations, Dickensblog reader Charity sends a link to a whole bunch of new still photos from the long-delayed-in-America feature film, and adds that it's driving her nuts that there's still no U.S. release date. I know the feeling.
• The Washington Post offers a tongue-in-cheek look at what Dickens's characters would be up to today. My favorites were the predictions for Oliver Twist and Miss Havisham!
• A replica of a sign that young Charles Dickens used to see on his way home from the blacking factory -- the Dog and Pot sign -- has been unveiled by Mark Dickens, his great-great-grandson. You can read all about it, and listen to Mark's speech, here.
• The Week has a list of 11 words and phrases coined (or at least popularized) by Dickens.
• Novelist Jodi Picoult includes Dickens on her list of the top 10 writers she admires.
• This appears to be a few years old, but it's too good not to share: "NFL Players Whose Names Sound Vaguely Dickensian, and the Characters They Would Be in an Actual Dickens Novel (2007-2008 Regular Season Edition)." I agree that Ethan Albright, Darnell Dinkins, Luke Petitgout, Channing Crowder, Rex Hadnot, James Dearth, Chris Snee, Otis Grigsby, Alge Crumpler, Jeremy Trueblood, Jamaal Fudge, Derrick Dockery, and Darnell Dockett sound vaguely Dickensian. Not so sure about Marcus Maxwell, Will Witherspoon, Langston Walker, and Ellis Hobbs. 

'Great Expectations' discounts

The Dickens Museum is offering a discount on tickets to the West End production of Great Expectations, opening tomorrow. Go here to see the offer!

New 'Mystery of Edwin Drood' cast album available

You can preview some of the tracks here, and order the album here!

Win tickets to 'Edwin Drood' on Broadway!

Go to the show's Facebook page to vote for your choice of murderer, and you could win a pair of tickets to the January 30 evening performance! Entries need to be in by this Thursday night.

Celebrating the 201st with 'Great Expectations'

It won't be as big a deal as his 200th, of course, but the Brits have come up with a great way to celebrate Dickens's 200th birthday in February: The West End production of Great Expectations will be broadcast in theaters around the U.K. And some of the money raised will go to a new charity, The Dickens Legacy, which will be fundraising for issues that concerned Dickens. (I think that's the part of the celebration that would have pleased him most!) I haven't yet been able to find much online yet about the charity; anyone who has details, please feel free to share them in the comments section.

More 'Edwin Drood' news

The cast of Broadway's Mystery of Edwin Drood have been recording the show's new cast album, which is due out next month. And a limited-edition T-shirt with the show's logo is now available for sale.

It's that time again!

Time, that is, for me to share the latest picture of Gerald Dickens and me before his performance of A Christmas Carol. This is getting to be quite the tradition!

The performance was, as ever, magnificent. If Mr. Dickens is coming to a city near you, I can't recommend it highly enough. Also, this year he's raffling off his costume to help raise money for the new Dickens statue in Portsmouth, so you just might end up with a nice new outfit! (The actual raffle will take place in January, but tickets are currently being sold at every place he performs, for $5 apiece.)

All the world's a stage

The Victorians loved toy theaters, and Dickens had one of his own when he was a boy. Now British theater company Beckman Unicorn has created a Great Expectations toy theater. Click here to see more images, and to find out how to buy your own! Thanks to The Buzfuz for the tip.

Speaking of Great Expectations, Beckman Unicorn is also selling copies of the script they're using for their own theatrical version. You can get that here.

(Image copyright Beckman Unicorn)

Mr. Micawber gets his own play

It's running at the Epsom Playhouse in Surrey, England. Read more here!

'Edwin Drood' roundup

The New York Times has an article about Dickens and the creation of The Mystery of Edwin Drood, and the Washington Post has an interview with Chita Rivera (Princess Puffer) about what it's like to be in the new Broadway revival of the musical. And Playbill.com has a cute caricature of the cast, done by Ken Fallin.