Jim and I had a lovely date night starting with dinner at Maynard’s in Excelsior and ending with a show at Music Box Theatre in Minneapolis. The show was To Begin With and it was produced by Jim’s very long-time friend Dennis Babcock of The Daniel Group.
And yes, I did go to a live show in Minneapolis two days in a row. COOL.
Here is the info on the play:
Who hasn’t heard of A Christmas Carol, Great Expectations, A Tale of Two Cities, Oliver Twist, David Copperfield or others of the dozens of books Charles Dickens wrote? But few know of the book he wrote just for his own children, titled The Life of Our Lord.
Why did he write it? And why did he ask that it not be published? Renowned playwright Jeffrey Hatcher explores with humor and insight the emotions and forces in Dickens’ life that may have motivated him, including his testy relationship with the pre-adolescent poet-to-be, Algernon Charles Swinburne.
Staged readings were held in Minneapolis in May of 2013 and in London in November of 2013. A staged reading is a step in the development of a play that allows the playwright and producers to see and hear the work take form on stage, helping them to assess its dialogue, flow and dramatic effectiveness. Audience feedback is also sought.
Gerald Charles Dickens, great-great-grandson of Charles Dickens, has been a valuable part of the project, reading the role, and contributing his personal knowledge of the famous author. We’ve also been blessed by the participation of Dickens scholar Gary Colledge, who wrote two books on Dickens: the first, Dickens, Christianity and The Life of Our Lord and the second, published in 2012,God and Charles Dickens.
With 2012 having been the Bicentenary of Dickens’s birth, interest in Dickens is high. Plans are being made for a U.S. World Premiere of To Begin With, followed by a U.S. tour, a U.K. tour and a limited production in London’s West End. The project has the blessing of the Charles Dickens Museum, the Dickens Fellowship and the Royal Theatrical Fund.
“My Dear Children, I am very anxious that you should know something about the History of Jesus Christ. For everybody ought to know about Him…”
—Opening of The Life of Our Lord, by Charles Dickens
