About: Micawbers

11 June 2007 – 8pm – one performance only
all tickets £10

THE MICAWBERS
- presented by Croft Productions
- adapted by John Dunne
- directed by Russell Kennedy

An intriguing adaptation of Charles Dickens’ David Copperfield, exploring the developing relationship between the young David Copperfield and Mr Wilkins Micawber and his wife Emma. The trio first meet when the young David fetches up in London to work for his cruel and uncaring step-father, Mr Murdstone.

The Micawbers’ plight soon becomes apparent to David, since not only “will something not turn up” but Mr Micawber’s philosophy – that “if a man has twenty pounds a year for his income and spends nineteen pounds nineteen shillings and sixpence, he is happy, but if he spends twenty pounds and one shilling, he would be miserable” – leaves a lot to be desired too.

A three-handed production, the play takes a delightful turn when Mr Micawber suddenly changes to become the vile and despicable Uriah Heep, a performance to send a shiver down the sturdiest of spine.

Croft Productions specialises in adapting classics, paring them down to a small cast where characters change literally at the drop of a hat. Recent examples include the three men in the life of Bathsheba Everdene in Far From the Madding Crowd, a cast of three for Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, and an extravagant cast of four for E. Nesbit’s Railway Children (scheduled for a three-week run in September at The King’s Head).

The Micawber’s began life last year where it played in Buxton and various London venues. The show was also aired at the Dickens’ Festival in Rochester where it has been invited back for a return performance on 1 June. After The King's Head, the play has a two-week run at the English Speaking Theatre in Bruges, Belgium on 10-22 July.

Public Comments on:
"Micawbers"