The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby, Part 1

by David Edgar (Adaptor), Charles Dickens

Nicholas Nickleby is a kind-hearted and honest young man who struggles to eke out a living to support his poverty stricken mother and sister. In order to earn his keep, Nicholas takes a teaching position at a deprived boarding school full of poor and hungry students, where under the rule of the cruel and corrupt one-eyed Wackford Squeers, his honourable nature chafes against the brutal regime. But in this depraved environment, sometimes even friendship and compassion can flourish..."Nicholas Nickleby" is the captivating story of one man's journey to fight a school's brutal and tyrannical rule, and a lesson in the consequences for those who conspire to bring about his downfall. This special edition features an exclusive introduction by the highly-acclaimed writer Peter Ackroyd, one of Britain's leading literary biographers.

Genres: Plays

72 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1982

About the author

David Edgar is an English playwright. He was born in Birmingham into a family with longstanding links to the theatre. His father and mother both acted at the Birmingham Rep before moving into broadcasting, and by the age of five Edgar had written his first play and performed it in a 12 seat theatre his father built for him in his back garden.

From Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Ed...

Reviews

[Franziska Self Fisken · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a whole, I found this novel interesting, eventful, illuminating, fascinating.
Some of the descriptions of people, places, events are so vivid they make me feel I travelled back in time. CD exhibits a decidedly dry droll humour at times such as when he remarks that a man wore a suit that did not suit him. CD is a severe critic of hypocrisy, of social injustice (such as cruelty to children and husbands taking over their wives' property) and ridicules greed, avarice, snobbery (particularly in Mrs Nickleby) and other aspects of the social setups in Victorian society. Makes me appreciate living in the Western world in the 21C rather than the 19C.
Some parts I found tedious. The main hero and two heroines seemed too bland for my liking although both Nicholas N and his sister Kate are very direct and Nicholas N does have a hot temper.
The novel ends in a very typical sugary Victorian sentimental way.

[Bobby Sullivan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've not read Dickens's novels before. This play seems like a massive, ambitious undertaking, and this play only covers the first half of the novel. Perhaps it's unfair to judge it without reading the second play, but I'm left wondering why. The story just doesn't seem interesting enough to me to justify all that went into the staging and development of this play. Clearly a labor of love, but I don't get it.

[Brittany Petruzzi · Rating 2 out of 5]

I never liked Dickens as a novelist and I don't like his stories much better as a play--a NINE-HOUR play. That said, at least David Edgar's adaptation moves along more quickly than any Dickens novel I've ever read. If Dicken's had written the play himself, no doubt it'd be approaching 20 hours in length.

Ah, well. On to Part II, I suppose...

[Cecilia · Rating 2 out of 5]

PRCs Reps. This is long. And Dickens. And narrative. And long.

[Chambers Stevens · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this when I saw it.
Time for a revival!!