(photo credit: Prudence Upton)
From Pip to Miss Wade via The Waifsby Chris Lane
My expectations were high before seeing Dickens' Women, as it's a rare chance to see a highly-acclaimed British actress on stage in Vancouver, and Miriam Margolyes certainly does not disappoint. Certainly a wonderful comedienne, she is also formidable in the more measured and dramatic scenes of the show.
Margolyes, known to Canadian audiences as Harry Potter's Professor Sprout, knows her Dickens inside and out, and her enthusiasm for his work is infectious as she performs a series of scenes from Dickens' books. She is also critical in her presentation of Dickens, lending some interesting insights into the more troubling aspects of his character. She presents him as a flawed man who created some masterful works of literature, but she also critiques certain aspects of his work, such as his penchant for sugary-sweet waifs.
