British School Located In Charles Dickens' House Performs "Oliver!"
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As the world marked the 200th anniversary of the birth of British master writer Charles Dickens on Tuesday, an English school that meets in the final home of the literary giant is performing the musical "Oliver!" which is based on Dickens' novel. NY1's Frank DiLella filed the following report. Take a page out of history and turn back time on a visit the picturesque county of Kent in the United Kingdom. The region is the backdrop of some of the colorful characters who populate the novels of famed English author Charles Dickens.
The town of Rochester is where the world-renowned writer spent most of his early years, and from its cobblestone streets to its quaint shops referencing the author's classics, the spirit of Dickens is undoubtedly present and celebrated by locals still today.
A few miles from the city center sits Gad's Hill School, inside a building where Dickens resided for the last 15 years of his life.
David Craggs, headmaster of the school, currently occupies Dickens' study, where the author penned "Great Expectations," "A Tale Of Two Cities" and began "The Mystery Of Edwin Drood."
"[The children] are taught English in Charles Dickens' bedroom. They sit down and have their school lunch in the same room where Dickens sat down and had lunch in with his family. There's something different about that," says Craggs.
Dickens, best remembered as a novelist, was also a journalist and actor. So in honor of the bicentennial of Dickens' birth, more than 100 students from Gads Hill School are presenting one of the author's most notable works, "Oliver Twist," in musical form.
Eleven-year-old Tyler Rodberg plays the iconic orphan in "Oliver!" and says performing in this work is the perfect way to honor Dickens.
"He was such a great writer, it's just fabulous," says Rodberg. "Where he sadly passed away in our dining hall is where we eat lunch today."
While "Oliver!" is only running for three performances, locals are just beginning to the set the stage for the master writer. The celebration of Dickens' 200th birthday will play out all year long.