OVERVIEW

• Playwright

  Sebastian Barry 

• Setting

  The Dickens' family home in rural Kent; the mid-19th century.

• Synopsis

  Celebrated children's writer Hans Christian Andersen arrives, unannounced, for a stay at Gad's Hill Place in the Kent marshes - home to Charles Dickens and his large, charismatic family.

  To the lonely and eccentric guest, the members of Dicken's household seem to live a life of unreachable bliss. But with his broken English, Andersen doesn't at first see the tensions in the family: undeclared passions, a son sent to serve in India, and a growing strangeness at the heart of Dickens's marriage.

• Play Type

  Plays General
  

  Number Of Acts

  Full-Length

Cast size

• Male

  3

• Female

  5

• Total

  8

• Cast Notes

  The original production also featured puppets.

Original Production

• Date of First Production

  11 February 2010

• Producer

  Produced by Out of Joint In association with Hampstead Theatre

• Venue Notes

  First performed at the Theatre Royal at Bury St. Edmunds as part of an extensive UK tour.

Source Of Information

The information for this entry was taken from various press cuttings and from the company website.