Charles Dickens's David Copperfield

Adaptations

by Alastair Cording (Adapter), Charles Dickens

One of Dickens’s best-loved and most autobiographical stories, brilliantly and faithfully dramatised, with all his marvellous creations of kindness and cruelty: Mr Micawber, Uriah Heep, Mrs Peggotty, Murdstone, Steerforth and Betsey Trotwood. Weaving through the colourful maze of the storyline is David’s hopeless infatuation with Emily - and eventual salvation in the arms of the long-suffering Agnes.

Alastair Cording’s stage adaptation skilfully concentrates on the essentials of the story while maintaining the colour, humour and drama of the book. Most notable is its fluidity, with each scene flowing into the next without the need for cumbersome scene changes - or much scenery at all. Performable by a cast of ten, if necessary, but equally offering good roles to thirty or more, the play was first staged and later revived by Eastern Angles at the Wolsey Theatre, Ipswich.

Genres: Plays

95 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2010

About the author

Alastair Cording researched Scottish theatre history for his Ph.D., subsequently lecturing at Glasgow and Strathclyde Universities. His extensive career as an actor and director led him to writing as a result of the Edinburgh Fringe First-winning epic, The Golden City.

Reviews

[Miriam Ilderton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite a well-written script overall, although some of the scene changes seemed a bit abrupt (hardly surprising given what a long book it's taken from).
Can't wait to perform this!!

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love Dickens, I do. But I am giving this an unfair 3 stars because of the play's massive number of scene changes. I know, totally unfair. The story is beautiful, engaging and though provoking though.

[Abel · Rating 3 out of 5]

En este libro Dickens logra, con simpleza y celeridad, llevarnos a un mundo antiguo, desde el punto de vista masculino, así como Jane Austen lo hace desde el femenino.

Menos detallado que la autora anterior, en David Copperfield Dickens plasma la historia, la idiosincracia de la sociedad, los prejuicios típicos y el sufrimiento que se debe vivir para ser alguien sin los propios padres presentes en gran parte de la vida.

Es una obra que recomiendo a todo aquel que quiera empezar a leer a Dickens.