Chorley Dickens’ night

Victoria Wood’s brother is set to make his professional stage debut next month at the age of 72.
Chris Foote WoodChris Foote Wood
Chris Foote Wood

Chris Foote Wood’s one-man show, An Evening With Charles Dickens, begins in Chorley in October.

He will bring the characters to life, and will take his show around the country.

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Chris said: “I have done exactly the same as what Dickens himself did – he read from his books.

“They are what I call animated readings. I don’t stand there and read, I act out the parts.

“It’s done from a lectern and it is basically reading but using the characters and accents.”

He added: “It is to bring to life a dozen or more from Dickens, such as Oliver Twist, Fagin, David Copperfield and the Artful Dodger.”

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Born in Cheshire and brought up in Lancashire, Chris has been entertaining on stage all his life.

As a child he was a regular in pantomime, and for many years he acted in plays and revues on the amateur stage while working as a freelance journalist and broadcaster.

He has also written a number of books including one on his mother’s early life for which Victoria wrote the foreword.

Chris said it was playing Scrooge on stage in A Christmas Carol that gave him the idea of doing a show based on the writings of Dickens.

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For the next 15 months Chris will be taking his show around halls and theatres in the UK, starting at the Eaves Green Community Centre in Chorley on October 5 at 7.30pm.

He plans to take his show to the Edinburgh Fringe next year.

For his debut in Chorley, Chris is being helped by local man Peter Hilton, who can be contacted for tickets on 01257 267 313.

Tickets are also available via Chris’s website. Log on to : chriswoodasdickens.weebly.com.

Ticket prices are £5 for adults and £3 for OAPs and under-16s.

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