Cowes Fringe has announced that Gerald Dickens, the great-great-grandson of Charles Dickens, is heading to Commodores House on Friday (24th May). Gerald’s show will consist of 2 short plays celebrating the work of the great writer and his connections with the Isle of Wight: The Signalman, and Dr. Marigold. Dickens wrote some great quotes about the Island including:
“There are views which are only equal on the Genoese shores of the Mediterranean. The variety of walks is extraordinary. “I think it is the prettiest place I ever saw in my life, at home or abroad. Naples is hot and dirty. New York feverish. Washington bilious. Genoa exciting. Paris rainy. But Bonchuch is smashing! “The sea bathing is delicious.”
John Terry, the owner of Commodores House, where Gerald will perform tells us that generations of the Hewitt family owned it and where Rosalie’s greengrocers now is, was once a bath house. The Hewitts offered ‘warm and cold sea baths’ and there is correspondence to suggest Dickens took a bath there. Tickets for the Gerald Dickens double bill are available at www.cowesfringe.com.
His greatest achievement in entertainment/life: winning The Weakest Link: Celebrity Edition.
His ancestor would be so proud…….
Talk about riding the coat tails of another’s great work. Maybe read your own literature and prove me wrong.