A Tale of Two Cities

Front Cover
Nick Hern Books, 2014 - Drama - 98 pages
A thrilling, fast-paced adaptation of the classic novel, considered by Dickens 'the best story I have ever written'.

An epic story of love, sacrifice and redemption, interweaving one family's intensely personal drama with the terror and chaos of the French Revolution. This version of A Tale of Two Cities premiered at Royal & Derngate, Northampton, in February 2014, featuring a large community ensemble alongside the main cast. Mike Poulton's adaptation is ideal for any amateur theatre companies, schools or youth theatres looking to stage a bold and dramatic version of Dickens' classic.

"Gripping... has a cinematic quality... there isn't a dull moment." - Telegraph

"Mike Poulton's adaptation is brilliant... ensures no-one unacquainted with the novel will be baffled." - Observer

"Best of times, worst of times: Mike Poulton takes them both at a gallop in an adaptation that... builds up the terminal velocity of a political thriller." - Guardian

"An atmospheric, appealing adaptation of a novel that remains relevant to our times." - The Stage

Charles Dickens (1812-1870) was an English writer and social critic who is generally regarded as the greatest novelist of the Victorian period.

Mike Poulton is a playwright and translator. His work has been staged at the Donmar Warehouse, Old Vic, Almeida Theatre and for the RSC, amongst others.

About the author (2014)

Charles Dickens, perhaps the best British novelist of the Victorian era, was born in Portsmouth, Hampshire, England on February 7, 1812. His happy early childhood was interrupted when his father was sent to debtors' prison, and young Dickens had to go to work in a factory at age twelve. Later, he took jobs as an office boy and journalist before publishing essays and stories in the 1830s. His first novel, The Pickwick Papers, made him a famous and popular author at the age of twenty-five. Subsequent works were published serially in periodicals and cemented his reputation as a master of colorful characterization, and as a harsh critic of social evils and corrupt institutions. His many books include Oliver Twist, David Copperfield, Bleak House, Great Expectations, Little Dorrit, A Christmas Carol, and A Tale of Two Cities. Dickens married Catherine Hogarth in 1836, and the couple had nine children before separating in 1858 when he began a long affair with Ellen Ternan, a young actress. Despite the scandal, Dickens remained a public figure, appearing often to read his fiction. He died in 1870, leaving his final novel, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, unfinished.

Bibliographic information