Admirer of Dickens recreates his readings

Press, 18 June 1986, Page 20

Admirer of Dickens recreates his readings

By

KAY FORRESTER

George Curry is a great admirer of the nineteeth century and, in particular, of one of the period’s celebrities. But he is also well aware of his hero’s shortcomings. Charles Dickens, he says, was a brilliant and immodest man who had a great deal to be immodest about. George Curry should know. He gave up his academic career as a university professor and administrator five years ago to follow in Dickens’ footsteps as a dramatic " reader. Frustrated because his commitments at the University of South Carolina did not allow him time to indulge his love of theatre and performing he quit early. Since then he has given performances in Europe, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand. Next week he will give three readings in Christchurch at the Free Theatre. But readings isnot the right word... for either what Dickens did and what Professor Curry does.

Dickens spent the last 12 years of his life travelling and giving performances of his novels. From the written works he had edited out the descriptive passages and added more dialogue. He designed a “reading desk” that allowed him to balance a book where he could easily see the text and that accommodated anything else he needed while on stage. George Curry says Dickens was a marvellous entertainer who could keep an audience spellbound. In the United States people queued in winter snow for hours to see him. He got much personal satisfaction from the performance and seeing an immediate effect of his work on the audience. He did not accept the criticism of contemporaries that public reading was demeaning. George Curry also gets satisfaction from his performances. Fascinated by the style Dickens used, he has edited his own version of Dicken’s text to perform. Dickens performed his own novels and also popular nieces of the time.

George Curry has two programmes — the first An Evening with Dickens which includes the popular pieces, the second, his version of “Great Expectations.” The book was one of those Dickens rewrote for performance but never actually presented. He was not happy with the edited text, believing it was too long. Assured by Dickens’ judgment that the book was worth reworking for the Reading Desk, Professor Curry has spent time and effort on the novel. “I think it’s successful,” he says of his condensation and reworking of the book. “Obviously there isn’t time to put all of the characters in. The book is written in the first person, it is an I book, which makes it ideal for reading. “I look at it as an older man, Pip, looking back on what he has done right and wrong in his life. It is entertaining and ironic. The real hero is the convict, who shows Pip the true value of life.” Professor Curry says he does not play or impersonate Dickens when he is performing. Instead he

tries to give a similar sort of performance to that the author gave, in a similar atmosphere. He is adamant that the shows are performances, not readings. Next week’s shows will, include a musical theme and lighting changes, supervised by his wife, Dr Ruth Curry. As well as the performances on June 25, 26, and 27 the professor will also give lectures on Dickens before heading for the North Island and performances there. His home is Florida... and, in case you think it odd that an American should be so fascinated by an English author, he is English. Although he has lived for many years in America, he was born and bred in Kent. He recalls that as a boy he lived near the country house in which Dickens died. Is that when the fascination began? “No, I think it would be fetching it a bit to say that. The interest began much later.” And it has not waned. ‘‘l’ll keep going as long as I’m not bored...and the audience is not bored."