Dickensblog

R.I.P., Leslie Bricusse

The award-winning composer co-wrote the score for the 1970 film Scrooge, later adapting it for the stage. He also wrote the lyrics for the 1963 stage musical Pickwick, based on Dickens's first novel. Leslie Bricusse passed away on Tuesday at age 90.

Blu-ray release for 'Edwin Drood'

The long-neglected 1935 adaptation of The Mystery of Edwin Drood, starring the great Claude Rains, is finally getting a little love, with a 2K Blu-ray release on November 2 from Kino Lorber! Click here to pre-order!

(And I see now that it's also available on Region 1 DVD, so maybe it's time to upgrade that old VHS copy of mine ... )

Congratulations to Broadway's 'A Christmas Carol'!

The Broadway production won five Tony Awards tonight, for its score, costume design, scenic design, lighting design, and sound design -- every award it was nominated for. GoldDerby points out that it's the first Christmas-themed play ever to win a Tony, and also the first non-musical play to win for best score!

Scrooge goes west

Jack Thorne's Tony-nominated A Christmas Carol is not yet coming back to Broadway, but it won't disappear! Two productions are planned for this season. One of them, starring Bradley Whitford (The West Wing), will tour four western U.S. cities; the other, starring Francois Battiste (Person of Interest, Station 19) , will play San Francisco. Go here for details!

TCM alert

Oliver! airs on the channel at 11:45 p.m. Eastern tonight.

Rehabilitation by Dickens

This story has been all over the Internet: A British would-be terrorist was sentenced to read classic literature, including Dickens (specifically, A Tale of Two Cities). You can read about it here, here, and here. Naturally I'm very intrigued by the idea and eager to hear how it goes! I've always believed that reading literature, including reading Dickens, is good for the soul -- if we get follow-up reports, this should make a valuable case study.

Dickens artifacts at NYPL

Dickens's chair, desk, prompt copy of A Christmas Carol, and paper knife with a handle made from a cat's paw, are going on display at the New York Public Library's new Polonsky Exhibition next month. Go here and here for details!

Elementary, my dear Tiny Tim

A Sherlock Carol, a new play written and directed by Mark Shanahan, will open Off-Broadway in November. Go here and here to learn more about this "Dickens-Doyle mashup"!

The adaptation road less traveled

Screen Rant suggests adapting some of Charles Dickens's short stories for film and/or television. I particularly like the idea of turning some of them into anthology series.

A clip from 'Twist'

Screen Rant has a brief clip from Twist, which opens in theaters and on demand on Friday.