A Christmas Carol is one of the most beloved festive stories in British history.
However not many city folk know that in 1859 Charles Dickens himself visited Norwich and carried out a reading of the tale at the historic Halls venue.
Now, 163 years later, the drama is set to be performed by Channel 4’s John O’Connor as Charles Dickens.
John O’Connor, who performed in Before We Die, said: “I’m delighted to be coming to Norwich with A Christmas Carol.
“Dickens himself performed the story all over the UK and America and it’s wonderful to follow in his legendary footsteps.
“The show was a sell-out success when we last performed and the audience reaction was delightful. There will be laughs, tears and plenty of Christmas cheer.”
A Christmas Carol follows the story of Ebeneezer Scrooge who is visited by the ghost of his former business partner, Jacob Marley.
Marley warns him of what’s to come if he does not change his ways.
Scrooge is then visited by the ghost of Christmas past, present and future to show him what will happen.
This helps him to change his outlook and start giving to the people around him.
The tour is set to be performed in locations across the UK where Dickens himself performed the classic festive ghost story.
However this performance is unlike the usual retelling as it is compiled of scripts from the original telling and eyewitness accounts of Dickens on stage to recreate the spirit of the original performances for today’s audiences.
Lee Johnson, manager at The Halls, said: “It was when I was in discussions with the actor, John O’Connor, about him performing A Christmas Carol here at The Halls that I learned that Charles Dickens did a reading of the story himself here in 1859.
"From that moment I thought: 'We must make it happen'.
"Theatre doesn’t happen at The Halls often as we host a variety of live music and comedy but when this opportunity arose it was as if it was meant to be.”
The performance will take place on December 6 at 7.30pm at the historic building in NR3.
Tickets can be purchased from The Halls website here.
Adult tickets are £17, children are charged £10 and there is a family ticket available to purchase at £45.
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