Theatre Royal - A Christmas Carol & The Canterville Ghost: Episode 6

Written by Charles Dickens

Narrated by Laurence Olivier

Theatre Royal. The very name summons up something of grandeur and eloquence. And it was. Hosted by Laurence Olivier, these big-name productions also included the creme de la creme of acting talents from John Gielgud, Ralph Richardson, and Orson Welles to Trevor Howard, Michael Redgrave, and Olivier himself. They were based on works by the worlds’ leading authors, among them Charles Dickens, Henry James, Oscar Wilde, and Anton Chekhov. These are but a few of whose company we shall be keeping as we raise the curtain on our first installment of theatrical history.

• Language: English
• Publisher: The Copyright Group
• Release date: Jan 1, 2018
• ISBN: 9781787379930

Charles Dickens

Charles Dickens (1812-1870) was an English writer and social critic. Regarded as the greatest novelist of the Victorian era, Dickens had a prolific collection of works including fifteen novels, five novellas, and hundreds of short stories and articles. The term “cliffhanger endings” was created because of his practice of ending his serial short stories with drama and suspense. Dickens’ political and social beliefs heavily shaped his literary work. He argued against capitalist beliefs, and advocated for children’s rights, education, and other social reforms. Dickens advocacy for such causes is apparent in his empathetic portrayal of lower classes in his famous works, such as The Christmas Carol and Hard Times.