Miriam Margolyes in Dicken’s Women – Australian Tour

This year marks two hundred years of Charles Dickens and twenty-four years of Dickens’ Women, the internationally acclaimed one woman show written by BAFTA winner Miriam Margoyles and Director Sonia Fraser.

Dickens’ Women was last seen in Australia for sell-out shows in 2007 and has returned for an encore season to mark the world-wide celebrations of the infamous author.

Margoyles professes to have been “intoxicated” by Dickens’ writing all her life and the idea of travelling the globe encouraging others to read his mastery of words is her motivation for continuing the tour – that and the fact that she wasn’t cast as Mrs Gamp in the television production of Martin Chuzzlewit; a role she was clearly born to play!

The show tells the story of Dickens himself through 23 of his female and 2 of his male characters, all of them somehow relevant or connected to his real life. Characters are plucked from his most famous novels such as Oliver Twist and Great Expectations and some from his lesser known works are also introduced.

Margoyles spares no judgement for her unavoidably human literary idol and lays bare his dents and dalliances. In her own words, the show is full of ‘revelations and salacious surprises’.

Margoyles spares no judgement for her unavoidably human literary idol and lays bare his dents and dalliances. In her own words, the show is full of ‘revelations and salacious surprises’.

In 1992, (that’s twenty years ago), Dickens’ Women was nominated for a prestigious Olivier Award. The fact that it is still selling out performances attests to the plays (and indeed Dickens’) longevity.

An English actress (and recent Australian citizen), Margolyes has had an extensive career across all mediums – from voice work to radio, film, television and stage (undoubtedly her favourite). She has appeared in well known movies such as Babe, Ladies in Lavender, Harry Potter, and well loved classics such as Yentl, The Little Shop of Horrors, Blackadder and Monkey Magic – the 70’s television series where ironically she played all the female characters in the cast. Margolyes was a recipient of the 2002 Order of the British Empire for her services to Drama.

Brisbane Season of Dickens’ Women March 22nd to 24th at the QPAC Playhouse.

For more tour dates, visit dickenswomen.com

Check out AussieTheatre’s exclusive interview with Miriam Margolyes – now featured on the Dickens’ Women website: