Written by Dickens biographer and author of London: A Biography, Peter Ackroyd, The Mystery of Charles Dickens gives an insight into the Victorian life and times of Dickens, interweaving his own turbulent story with some of his most memorable fictional characters from Mr Micawber to Mrs Gamp, Bill Sykes to Miss Havisham.
The Mystery of Charles Dickens was first seen in the West End in 2000, at the Comedy and then at the Albery (now the Noel Coward) Theatre, before returning for a stint at the Albery again in 2002.
Callow has also had West End success with his one-man plays about Oscar Wilde and, most recently, Shakespeare. His Being Shakespeare, for which he’s been twice nominated in the Whatsonstage.com Awards, had runs at Trafalgar Studios last year and earlier this year. He was also seen in the West End this past Christmas in another one-man Dickens vehicle, an adaptation of A Christmas Carol, at the Arts Theatre.
The Mystery of Charles Dickens fills the vacancy at the Playhouse left by the closure last week of rock ‘n’ roll compilation musical Dreamboats and Petticoats.