THE MAN WHO INVENTED CHRISTMAS A Yuletide Visit With Charles Dickens

Charles Dickens, dubbed "the man who invented Christmas," produced a vast array of writings. Three stories adapted by Timothy Patrick Miller as part of "A Magical Reality Chautauqua Show" make for lively storytelling. The original Chautauqua, begun in the 1870s, fostered traveling shows that were part of the development of adult education and culture in rural America. In a style and manner reminiscent of vaudeville and old-time radio, Miller's sonorous voice delivers the Dickensian tidbits--the best being "Gabriel Grub and the Christmas Goblins." He grandly "tells" these tales and maintains a presence in the performance. There's a feeling of stage lights, a dusty atmosphere, and a single chair on the stage, and then the raconteur begins. R.F.W. © AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine [Published: DEC 06/ JAN 07]