CHARLES DICKENS’S CHRISTMAS STORY THE CHIMES SHINES A LIGHT
ON HOMELESSNESS IN NEW PIECE OF MUSIC THEATRE
The Chimes is a new piece of music theatre which has been adapted from the second Christmas story by Charles Dickens, and will be staged, site-specifically, in the magnificent churches of St. John’s Church in Canton, Cardiff (7th - 16th December) and St. John’s, Waterloo, London (19th - 30th December). It has been written by David Willis and Conor Linehan and is produced and directed by Judith Roberts, in partnership with Chapter. The production is a dynamic collaboration between the team of music theatre makers and three of the country’s leading homeless charities - The Passage in London and The Wallich and The Huggard in Cardiff.
Dickens wrote The Chimes during the recession of the ‘hungry forties’ when unemployment and starvation were rife and thousands were homeless. The Chimes strikes a blow for the poor; it is a feisty and stern story - a Christmas War Song rather than a Christmas Carol. On publication, it sold 20,000 copies in less than a month and sparked huge debate and controversy.
Dickens’s biting satire was intended to effect real political change and this musical adaptation doesn’t pull its punches. It is a sharp, witty musical adaptation of Dickens’s tale for today’s audiences which will invite a group of men and women, who are supported by The Passage, The Wallich and The Huggard, to become members of an ensemble which joins a professional cast to create this dynamic new piece of music theatre.
The Chimes will be on at St. John’s Church in Canton in Cardiff 7-16 December (exc. 10 Dec) and at St. John’s Church in Waterloo, London 19-30 December (exc. 24, 25, 26 December). For more information about The Chimes, follow the project on Facebook at
www.facebook.com/TheChimesDickens
