Just before Christmas we had our first week of work on a show for NEXT Christmas, working with the same brilliant team that brought you the sell-out show ‘Mrs Hudson’s Christmas Corker’ at Wilton’s Music Hall a couple of years ago.
MRS HUDSON’S CHRISTMAS CORKER, WILTON’S MUSIC HALL
Here’s a little reminder of the delights of that little gem, Petra’s unique reading of King Herod…
The show re-gathers to the ample Spymonkey bosom the considerable talents of Sophie Russell, director Ed Gaughan, and musicians Ross Hughes, Magnus Mehta and Marcus Penrose. And holds them there slightly too long.
Our week of research uncovered some gold (for our nefarious purposes at least) about Charles Dickens: his diaries, recorded in America whilst travelling on his famous reading tours, and charting his descent from wild idealism to a list of complaints about table manners and copyright abuse; his love of ‘becoming’ his characters at his readings; his dabbling in mesmerism; and the specific delights of Christmas Carol as the most cracking Christmas story going (and the pinnacle of his powers as a writer).
So our show will see the internationally renowned author performing readings from his most famous work. His hypnotic powers of storytelling are of course legion. One moment you’ll be in the presence of ‘Boz’ himself, sitting all rosy cheeked by the fire, his eyes twinkling like chestnuts as he recounts to you his latest tales.
And the next moment it will be as if there are not one of him but many more! All of them of various heights, builds and genders! They will bring to life tightfisted Mr Scrooge, Bob Cratchit, Tiny Tim, Mr & Mrs Fezziwig and the whole Fezziwig family, dancing a merry reel ‘pon frozen old father Thames.
And all of it accompanied by the popular and very up-to-date musical faddings that Mr Dickens has gathered on his latest travels across the United States of America! Ho-down git-daddy!
Yes, a comedy musical festive treat for all the family, bless my jiggit!
We’ll have some detailed news about this shortly.