James Swanton

A masterpiece of high Gothic melodrama. Adapted by Charles Dickens from the grislier material in Oliver Twist, Sikes and Nancy became the most notorious of his legendary Public Readings. Audiences were shocked into silence. Women would scream and faint. 'I shall tear myself to pieces,' Dickens vowed before one performance. He surely did - it is now thought that the strain of 'The Murder' hastened Dickens' early death.

'James Swanton is a fearless actor who pushes the art of physical expression into fantastical areas of theatre that are far too little explored... A startling and enthralling contribution to the art of the theatre.' - Simon Callow