“In both tellings, the range of characters are showcased with the intimate care and consideration Josiah Wedgewood gave to the arrangement of his vases in his London showroom.”

Editorial Rating: 5 Stars (Outstanding)

Performance by Nicholas Collett plus Lines by Charles Dickens plus direction by Gavin Robertson is a winning curative formula. A cure for your tired, for your poor huddled Fringe-going masses yearning to see tip-top quality. Two tales, told on alternate days, written by the greatest storyteller of his day, delivered by one of the most accomplished thespians of ours.

‘The Queer Chair’ (from ‘The Pickwick Papers’) tells the story of Tom Smart who, sheltering from a storm in a cosy inn for the night, gets more than he bargained for – from a wizened and debauched piece of furniture. Tom likes the establishment, the food, the punch, the serving girls and especially the widowed landlady. But she is being pursued by a tall suitor, whom Tom takes an immediate dislike to. The haunted chair in his room has insights, an agenda, and a plan. Collett’s genius is to play this, let us admit, rather fanciful tale totally straight. He works with the material and never once against it. If you were ever looking for proof positive that Dickens, contrary to popular misconception, is a light, breezy, airy writer, as well as a perfect practitioner of pace, look no further than Collett’s expert polishing of ‘The Queer Chair’ which is brought up to a beautiful and lively shine.

‘The Ghosts of The Mail’ is set in Edinburgh. After a well-lubricated party in the old town, Jack Martin stumbles back to his lodgings via South Bridge and several other still familiar locations until he comes to rest at a yard compound containing the derelict skeletons of old mail coaches. There he falls asleep, or does he?, finding himself drawn into an episode of high adventure from the preceding eighteenth century, in the company of three creepy and mysterious fellow passengers. This story is less conversation and more action movie, giving Collett the opportunity to flex his muscles in a rapid succession of poses which reveal the sinews, form, and grace of his craft.

In both tellings, the range of characters are showcased with the intimate care and consideration Josiah Wedgewood gave to the arrangement of his vases in his London showroom. Hand up, I find Nick Collett more convincing as a lecherous antique and boozer than as a comely young barmaid or tall person. But each of his character sketches is so delightful, so well observed and proportioned that it’s impossible not to come away with a deeper understanding of, and admiration for, the great actor as master storyteller. The ghost of a smile? More like an ear-to-ear grin.

Come for the writing. Stay for the performance. Get your frock coats on and go see this!

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