Icon, legend and star, Miriam Margolyes takes to the stage once more in an homage to her favourite author, Charles Dickens. Transporting us to the 19th century with her gutsy character studies and powerful re-enactments, Margolyes & Dickens: The Best Bits reminds us all why she is a national treasure with a performance that is nothing short of perfection.
Nothing short of perfection
There is no end to her talents, playing characters that span a wide range of the Dickens spectrum: Fagin, Miss Havisham, Flora from Little Dorrit, Scrooge and Mr Bumble and Mrs Corney from Oliver Twist. Her ability to depict an entire mis en scene with her voice and physicality alone (with minimal mime) is astonishing. She does not require any frills or accessories to enhance her performance and presents unencumbered, with only a chair by her side. Transforming herself in front of our very eyes, Margolyes is a virtuoso in the instrument of her body, modifying her voice and physicality so dramatically that the veil of reality fades away and you find yourself lost in the world she is painting.
Margolyes combines her performances with anecdotes about Dickens’ life, adding her own signature quips as she goes. In the second half of the show, she answers a select few audience questions, which allows us a glimpse into her encyclopaedic knowledge and to hear of wild stories from her past that are riveting. Questions in this specific performance ranged from enquiring about what Dickens character she would be friends with to the last time she had an orgasm. Unwavering in her opinions but never unkind, Marygolyes captivates and enchants us at every turn.
Everyone deserves the joy of seeing Margolyes on stage. A pillar of British theatre and character work, at the age of eighty-three her light shines as brightly as ever.
