Thursday 3rd May to Saturday 5th May and Tuesday 8th May to Saturday 12th May 1990
Directed by David Penrose
For the first time in any stage - The Bench Theatre presents a NEW adaptation of Dickens' brilliant comic novel. PERFORMED IN TWO PARTS, on consecutive evenings, by a company of 27 actors, 'Martin Chuzzlewit' tells the story of two men who share the same name and the same selfish pride which pulls them apart. Disinherited by his grandfather for loving unwisely, young Martin seeks adventure and fortune in America, while at home the Chuzzlewit family is plunged into a spiral of deceit and corruption which leads, ultimately, to murder.
'The Life and Adventures of Martin Chuzzlewit' was originally a serialised novel, published from January 1843 to July 1844. The plot centres around the efforts of Martin to make his fortune and marry the woman he loves and spans eighteen months.
Young Martin Chuzzlewit falls in love with Mary, the servant of his controlling and aged grandfather. The grandfather refuses permission for them to marry and disowns young Martin, who leaves to become apprentice to the dishonest and despicable Mr Pecksniff. This apprenticeship does not last however, and Martin is evicted when his Grandfather hears of the arrangement and disapproves. Martin makes his way to the United States, in the company of a kind man called Mark Tapley, to start a new life. After nearly dying of malaria, they both return to England where Martin begs his grandfather to be able to marry Mary but the grandfather still refuses. Further trials and tribulations ensue, when relations of the main protagonists are involved in a massive insurance fraud and possible murder, but a happy ending is achieved when Martin and Mary are allowed to marry and the grandfather is revealed to be a kind and good man after all.
The novel is relatively famous for its anti-American stance and it appears that Dickens added those passages after early sales proved disappointing. This adaptation, written by Bench Theatre member, David Penrose, was premiered by Bench Theatre in 1990.
This play was staged at Havant Arts Centre, East Street Havant - Bench Theatre's home since 1977.
Martin Chuzzlewit Snr | Stuart Hartley |
Martin Chuzzlewit Jnr | Simon Norton |
Anthony Chuzzlewit | Terry Cattermole |
Jonas Chuzzlewit | Steven Foden |
Seth Pecksniff | John Scadding |
Charity Pecksniff | Jane Hemsley-Brown |
Mercy Pecksniff | Lucia Favarin |
Mr Spottletoe | Laurie Noble |
Mrs Spottletoe | Rita de Bunsen |
Mrs Ned | Jacquie Penrose |
Mrs Ned's Daughters | Becky Price Beth Callen |
George Chuzzlewit | Mark Wakeman |
The Grand-Nephew | David Balthazor |
The Deaf Cousin | Nicola Scadding |
Chevy Slyme | Steve Newcombe |
Tom Pinch | Vincent Adams |
John Westlock | David Hemsley-Brown |
Mark Tapley | Alan Jenkins |
Mary Graham | Katrin Johannes |
Mrs Lupin | Nicola Scadding |
Montague Tigg | David Penrose |
Pecksniff's stable-boy | Rob Finn |
Pecksniff's horse | Terry Cattermole |
Salisbury Landlord | Mark Bardell |
Ostler | Neil Kendall |
Bailey | Neil Kendall |
Mrs Todgers | Robbie Cattermole |
Mr Jinkins | Laurie Noble |
Mr Gander | Mark Bardell |
Mr Pardiggle | Andrew Caple |
Mr Pyke | Steve Newcombe |
Mr Spouter | David Hemsley-Brown |
Mr Whelk | Grant Best |
Mr Pipchin | Mark Wakeman |
Augustus Moddle | Rob Finn |
Ruth Pinch | Beth Callen |
Sophia | Katrin Johannes |
The Footman | Steven Foden |
Chuffney | Andrew Caple |
Salisbury Waitress | Rita de Bunsen |
Bill | Grant Best |
Bill's Horse | Neil Kendall |
London Landlord | Laurie Noble |
David Crimple | Steve Newcombe |
Newsboys | David Balthazor Steve Newcombe Mark Wakeman Grant Best |
Colonel Diver | Laurie Noble |
Captain of 'The Screw' | Andrew Caple |
Major Pawkins | Stuart Hartley |
Irish | Nicola Scadding |
Jefferson Brick | Neil Kendall |
Mr Bevan | Mark Bardell |
Cicero | Andrew Caple |
Dr Jobling | Mark Wakeman |
Jobling's Assistants | Steve Newcombe David Penrose |
Mrs Gamp | Rita de Bunsen |
Mr Mould | Mark Bardell |
Tacker | David Hemsley-Brown |
Mould's Mourners | David Penrose Steve Newcombe Grant Best Neil Kendall |
Priest | Stuart Hartley |
General Choke | David Hemsley-Brown |
Mr Lafayette Kettle | Vincent Adams |
Captain Kedgick | David Balthazor |
Scadder | Steve Newcombe |
Putnam Smiff | Rob Finn |
A Daughter of America | Jacquie Penrose |
Steamboat Passenger | Laurie Noble |
Edeners | Nicola Scadding Vincent Adams |
Hannibal Chollop | Mark Wakeman |
Bullamy | Laurie Noble |
Betsey Prig | Jacquie Penrose |
Lewsome | Grant Best |
'Bull' Landlady | Beth Callen |
'Bull' Chambermaid | Becky Price |
Poll Sweedlepipe | Terry Cattermole |
Nadgett | Mark Bardell |
Pip | Laurie Noble |
Wolf | John Scadding |
Jane | Becky Price |
The Member for Salisbury | Rob Finn |
Salisbury Lady | Rita de Bunsen |
The Copper Founder and Mr Fips | Terry Cattermole |
The Copper Founder's wife | Nicola Scadding |
Tigg's Driver | David Balthazor |
Director | David Penrose |
Stage Management | Howard Cawte Peter Corrigan |
Assistant Stage Management | Peter Le Feuvre Matthew Loten Ingrid Corrigan |
Properties | Ingrid Corrigan Peter Corrigan |
Lighting | Simon Wilcox |
Sound | Rob Thrush Andy Goldberg |
Costumes | Jacquie Penrose Jane Hemsley-Brown |
Costume Assistants | Rita de Bunsen Judy Balthazor |
Set Design | David Penrose |
Set Construction | David Hemsley-Brown |
Music Composed by | Paul Mizen |
Front of House | Lisa Thomas |
'Martin Chuzzlewit' is the last of the apprentice novels written by Dickens. It is the final example of Dickens writing in the 18th Century manner where the young hero is sent off on a journey, meets interesting characters on the way and ends up a changed and wiser person. This was the old fashioned rather slapdash pattern of novel writing Dickens was drawn to copy at the start of his career rather that the tighter type of novel written by Jane Austen.
But by 1840 Dickens he decided he had to change and he would make the change in writing 'Martin Chuzzlewit. However, not everything changed. As in earlier novels, the characters in Chuzzlewit are seen to be "performing" showing off to themselves, to each other and to the Great World itself. There is (the familiar) strong combination of the heroic and the domestic with a warm-hearted celebration of the normal, the near normal and the downright eccentric. As ever there is a smell of the footlights. Dickens was an amateur actor and director of high standing and intended when young to turn professional but he caught the flu and missed his audition. Later in life her said that what he should have done was not write a lot of books but he should have mounted production sin a National Theatre. There is a way of seeing Dickens novels in fact as being scripts, screen plays and storyboards even, for plays and films. since the novels first came out they have been continually staged and filmed: The Russians being particularly faithful in their desire to play them, using the stories, of course, for social criticism. The RSC made a resounding success of its two-part 'Nicholas Nickleby' - a near relative of 'Martin Chuzzlewit' and David Lean got it pretty well right with 'Oliver Twist' and 'Great Expectations'.
But one of the least staged and filmed is 'Martin Chuzzlewit'. This is because this one is special. This is the one where Dickens changed. The old wandering picaresque story form is not rejected but it is combined with a new interest in plot making: there is a discovery of psychology influenced maybe by the appearance of the Bronte sisters in print: and there is also a new hardness, even harshness which appears amongst all the sparkle and vivacity. This is the novel where Dickens starts to get himself together for the great leap forward into 'Dombey and Son', 'David Copperfield', 'Bleak House' and all the other big ones. 'Chuzzlewit' is special.
John Scadding