It’s a foggy night in quarantine.  A perfect night! . . . for a mystery’ (MURDERING DICKENS)

 

 

Copyline:   A superb ‘radio thriller’ that predates the medium itself.  In 1870 Charles Dickens gave his last public performance of his sensational, dramatic reading of  Sikes and Nancy, the Murder from Oliver Twist.  CCRMT and London actor, George Harland, team up to recreate this Victorian thriller exactly as it was done by Dickens  and with the same stupendous effect.

Synopsis:     Listeners are transported back to St. James Hall, Piccadilly, first to eavesdrop backstage on a heated discussion between George Dolby,  Dickens’ road manager, and his physician, Dr. Beard, about whether the Chief should be allowed to go on stage to perform yet again another strenuous reading of his murder scene, which although popular, is now posing a grave risk to the Chief’s own health.   For Dickens these performances  have become something of an obsession.

The listener is  then given a front row seat to enjoy this superb performance, powerfully recreated by George Harland, exactly as it was done by Dickens over a century ago.

(From the annotated reading script, Berg Collection, New York Public Library.  Funded by the National Endowment for the Arts.)

MURDERING DICKENS:   The Murder Scene from ‘Oliver Twist’

CAST:

Announcer and Doctor Beard. . . . . . . . . . David Wallace

Charles Dickens  . . . . George Harland

George Dolby . . . . . . . . . Stephen Russell

Cabbie . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Bob Nolan

Ticket master, Nephew, Constable . . . . . . . . . . . Chuck Powers

Aunt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Anne Marie Lang

Smelling Salts Old Lady 1. . . . . . . . . . Carol McManus

Smelling Salts Old Lady 2  . . . . . . . . . Eva Broderson

Flower Sellers, Tavern Singers . . . Carol McManus/ Eva Broderson

Billy the Backstage Boy . . . . . Alex Birmingham

Street urchins . . . . Jeremy Lang, Jesse Lang

Credits Announcer . . . . . . Mark Birmingham

Produced by STEVEN THOMAS ONEY and MARK BIRMINGHAM, Engineering by MARK BIRMINGHAM and JOHN TODD, From the original reading by CHARLES DICKENS, Dramatized Introduction by STEVEN THOMAS ONEY, Original music by  MARK BIRMINGHAM,  radio station painting by JERRY WILLIAMS, ‘The Art of Radio Mystery . . . exemplified’ by PIER GUSTAFSON, illustration: ‘Last Chance’ by George Cruikshank, special thanks to Yvonne Harland.