What the Dickens!!! Dickens’ Great-Great-Grandson to Perform a Christmas Carol at The Strand
The great-great-grandson of literary icon Charles Dickens will be performing his captivating rendition of A Christmas Carol, a heartwarming holiday tale, at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, December 15, 2019, at the Strand Theater, 400 Clifton Avenue, Lakewood, N.J.
During his energetic one-man show, Gerald Dickens, an actor and producer from Oxford, England, conjures A Christmas Carol with just a table, wing chair, and a hat rack accompanying him on stage. As he leaps, sobs, and laughs, 26 characters of the classic tale are brought vividly to life. Gerald has created different postures and voices for each character, achieving this so adeptly that the audience has no doubt about “who is who,” so to speak. Says Bob Byers, President of Byers’ Choice Ltd., “It’s a wonderful show–a great family tradition–the best way I know of to kick off the holiday season.”
Gerald Dickens bears more than a passing resemblance to his famous ancestor, who originally toured the U.S. in 1867, reading his literary works before spellbound audiences. The historians report that A Christmas Carol was his favorite piece to perform.
According to Gerald, his great-great-grandfather adored theater and initially wanted to be an actor but pursued writing as a career for practical purposes. For many years Gerald says that he himself “avoided anything to do with Dickens like the plague.” But in 1993 when a friend asked him to do a reading of A Christmas Carol on its 150th anniversary of publication to help raise money for a historical restoration project, he couldn’t turn him down. To his surprise, he enjoyed doing it and has been delighting audiences around the world with his rendition ever since.
Tickets are 22.00 each and are available at www.strand.org or at the Strand Box Office. Mr. Dickens will be available to sign a special selection of books and gifts during a public reception in The Strand Gallery immediately after the show.
All photographs, audio and video recordings are prohibited during Mr. Dickens’ performances; however, at the signing reception after each performance, photos are encouraged. Anyone unable to get performance tickets before they have sold out can still attend the book signings.
Mr. Dickens will be available for a limited number of press interviews. Contact Ray Coles @ 732.691.9989 or at raycoles@teknetinc.com to schedule a convenient time.
About Gerald Dickens 2019 U.S. Tour:
This fall Gerald Dickens returns to the U.S. for his 2019 tour that will take him to both coasts with many stops in between. He will transform businesses, churches, hotels, and museums into scenes straight out of the classic holiday tale, much as Scrooge was transformed from a dispirited miser to a joyous soul after his Christmas Eve encounter with ghosts from the past, present, and future. His performance is produced by Byers’ Choice Ltd., makers of the nationally-known Carolers® and Kindles® figurines, located in Chalfont, PA. For more information on Mr. Dickens’ 2019 tour calendar, visit www.byerschoice.com or phone 215-822-6700.