What the Reduced Shakespeare Company did for the works of the Bard has now been applied to the life and novels of Charles Dickens.

On Monday, October 19, Dickens Abridged, a fast paced musical comedy from Adam Long, founding member of The Reduced Shakespeare Company and co-creator of The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged), can be seen at the University of Herts’ Weston Auditorium in Hatfield.

Four Dickens obsessed dudes from California bring hundreds of the great author’s best-loved characters to life in 70 minutes which dove-tails his novels with the bizarre-but-true story of Charles Dickens’ own life.

That includes his complicated romantic entanglements and his inexplicable enthusiasm for performing the bludgeoning scene from Oliver Twist over and over again.

Performances are at 1.30pm and 7.30pm with admission £17.50, concessions £12.50 and students £10. Tickets can be obtained by calling 01707 281127 or booking online at www.ticketline.co.uk/venue/the-weston-auditorium#contact