Chaplin: Birth of a Tramp

For over 100 years, Charlie Chaplin has been the world’s best-loved clown. His brilliant comic

creation of "The Little Tramp" is the first and most recognisable cinematic icon in history. But

his remarkable story of stardom and success has a darker side.

Raised in the horrific, grinding poverty of a Victorian slum, Charlie never knew the security of a

stable family. Whilst his parents destroyed themselves with disastrous ambition and

unshakeable vice, Charlie was thrown at the mercy of the workhouse. Desperate to escape his

feral existence on the streets of South London, Charlie became captivated by the shining lights

of vaudeville, and gradually began to see a way out.

Critically-acclaimed Arrows & Traps return with an examination of the relationship between

experience and creativity, and invite you to discover how Chaplin spun personal tragedy into

universal comedy, in a psychological exploration of one of the world’s most remarkable lives.

“What a sad business, being funny” - “Limelight” (1952)

This production is being produced with the full endorsement of the Chaplin Estate and the

Chaplin Family.