Dickensblog

More on the Covid 'Carols,' from 'The New York Times'

Thanks to Michael Ellis in the Facebook group for alerting me to this NYT article, which looks not just at the digital versions of the Carol that I posted about recently, but also at a number of other options that theater companies are trying: "outdoor stagings, drive-in productions, street theater, streaming video, radio plays and even a do-it-yourself kit sent by mail." The participants interviewed clearly love and respect the material and appreciate its longstanding popularity, and it's really nice to see how they're using all their creativity to bring it to audiences this year.

TCM alert

David Copperfield (the 1935 one) airs on the channel Monday morning at 6 a.m. Eastern. 

More virtual Dickens events

California's Great Dickens Christmas Fair has moved online! Go here to find out about the events that will take place over the five weekends (plus Christmas Eve) of "Dickens Fair at Home," and how you can join in.

Meanwhile in Minnesota, the Guthrie Theater and the University of St. Thomas will present "A Christmas Carol and the Common Good," a free online event including readings from the book and a panel discussion of its themes and their relevance. Go here and here to find out more. 

And finally, author and pastor Andy Whitaker Smith is hosting a short series of Zoom classes on his new book, Keeping Christmas: The Journey of Ebenezer Scrooge.  Go here to sign up!

 

'Copperfield' now available digitally in the U.S.

The Personal History of David Copperfield is now available via Google Play. I believe Verizon FIOS also has it available on demand. If you spot other services that carry it, let us know in the comments. (I miss the good old days when you could just tell people what channel to watch at what time!)

Thanks to Josh Sharpe for sharing his new review of the film in the Dickensblog Facebook group!

 

Getting creative with 'A Christmas Carol'

Along with everything else it's derailed, the pandemic is wreaking havoc on the usual rush of productions of A Christmas Carol. But many artists are finding ways to bring us the story nevertheless! Here are a few examples I've seen:

• An unusual filmed version of A Christmas Carol, with dancers and celebrity voiceovers (including Carey Mulligan, Martin Freeman, Daniel Kaluuya, Simon Russell Beale, and Andy Serkis), will open in British movie theaters December 4. I'm not sure if we'll be getting this one in the United States at any point. More information is here, here, and here.
• Broadway actor Jefferson Mays has filmed his acclaimed one-man version of the Carol. It will be streamed online November 28 to benefit theaters around the United States. Go here to learn more and to buy tickets.
• Gerald Dickens -- whose one-man version I've seen several times, as many of you know -- has also created a film version, as he reports on his blog. Details about the release to come. 
• In Washington, D.C., Ford's Theatre has turned its annual production of the show into a radio play, which will air on its website on December 7 (members only) and December 14 (general public), and on WAMU 88.5 on Christmas Day.

If you know of any other creative productions of A Christmas Carol that deserve a mention here, please mention them in the comments!

Geoffrey Palmer, R.I.P.

The British actor read an audiobook of A Christmas Carol and also portrayed Thackeray in the 2002 miniseries Dickens. He passed away last Wednesday at age 93. 

A dialogue on Dickens and slavery

On Sunday, November 22, the Cambridge Literary Festival will show online Dickens on Slavery, a short film featuring a dialogue about the chapter on slavery in American Notes. Click here to find out more and to buy a ticket! (Note that the time given, 12:30 p.m., would be 7:30 a.m. Eastern.)