EDINBUGH REVIEWS: Margolyes & Dickens: The Best Bits, August 8, 2024 by Bronwen Winter Phoenix 8th August 2024
Birdy doesn’t do weather; weather does Birdy. But nothing could stop her from making her way to the EICC for the absolute treat that was Margolyes & Dickens. The weather may have been glum, but I couldn’t help but be excited as I made my way (along with hundreds of others) to the Edinburgh International Conference Centre for one of my most anticipated show of the Fringe; Margolyes & Dickens. I wasn’t disappointed! I was forewarned by a PR person that the show is 70 minutes long and had started a little late the previous night, however at 16:05 (perfectly acceptable in my book), the one and only Miriam Margolyes took to the stage, and from there I had some of the best 70 minutes of this Fringe so far. The format The show is in two halves; first, Miriam comes on stage and introduces the show a little – and as she points out, there’s no need to introduce herself (“If you don’t know who I am, what the f*** are you doing?”). Margolyes explains to us how the show will work (including about the QR code which had been looming large on the screen up until this point) before performing with gusto as various famous characters from Dickens novels. Then, an interviewer joins Margolyes on stage, and we launch into the Q&A part of the show, where audience members have used aforementioned QR code to pose various questions to Margolyes – and no, most of these aren’t questions about Dickens at all! They’re mainly about sex, drugs, politics and all the other important things in life. And Margolyes doesn’t hold back; she’s right there to spill the tea. The vibe The vibe of this show is charming, wondrous, highly entertaining, hilarious – and, enjoyable throughout. The huge auditorium was absolutely packed, and I could feel so much love in the room for this beloved actor – whose passion for Dickens, by the way, is infectious. Margolyes speaks about Dickens with such tenderness and passion, telling us how from her very first read of Oliver Twist, she was immersed in the writer’s world, with all the colourful characters it brought – and she’s never really left it since. The show itself The first thing I want to say about Margolyes’ performance is that she transforms into each character with such confidence and ease, her voice and mannerisms perfectly embodying each character, from Sairey Gamp, and Miss Haversham, to Oliver’s Twist‘s Fagen, Scrooge, and more! Her acting chops seem second to none, and the entire audience is captivated. She finishes this section of the show with a dialogue between Mr Bumble and Mrs Corney, where things get a little bit risqué – at least for back in those days! Having paid her dues in the industry probably ten times over, it feels like such a treat, and such a privilege, to be in the audience witnessing some of these mere crumbs of Margolyes’ talent. (I’ve also never heard anyone snore quite so convincingly in my life – probably a great skill if you want to secretly listen in on conversations! But that’s by the by) Once the character acting was out of the way, it was time to move onto the Q&A section, and the interviewer joined Margolyes on stage. The questions from the audience include where and when Margolyes and Dickens had posed for their photo shoot together (that one made me laugh far too much), whether Margolyes had run a drug racket out of her holiday home (The White Sniffs of Dover were one newspaper’s headline for that one!), and more. Someone asked Margolyes’ about her most memorable orgasm, and she answered honestly that she hadn’t really been comparing. I was a little sad when she revealed she hadn’t actually had one in a very long time, but reassured when she disclosed that she didn’t actually want one. I suppose that’s okay. I was also very happy to learn that Margolyes was very much of the same opinion as me about JK Rowling and Harry Potter (“it’s over, folks”) and that there’s a lot of shitebags out there in politics. She even shared my sadness about Nicola Sturgeon stepping down. “The English politicians are absolute crap from top to bottom,” Margolyes states, to general agreement. “No wonder the Queen died after meeting Liz Truss.” – One of the best lines of the night, by far! Oh yes, I was highly entertained throughout all of Margolyes’ stories, such as the one time the Queen told her to “be quiet”, or the time she gave a soldier a handjob in the Meadows. She also gave us her best Glasgow accent, something she’d picked up from her father who had been raised in the Gorbals. Finally, it’d be remiss of me not to mention Margolyes’ comment on Israel and Palestine. As a Jewish person herself, she didn’t hold back with: “I have to say how sad I am that I have to castigate Israel and that shit Netanyahu for what he’s doing to the Palestinians.” The room erupted with applause, as she went on to say: “Be nice, be human.” At the end of the show, the audience gave Margolyes a very deserved standing ovation, and I’m sure most of us left feeling absolutely delighted with our life decisions that day. From the bottom of my heart, thank you, Miriam. I hope to see you again! Overall Aside from feeling full of joy, and yes, a little bit of hope for this world, I also came away from Margolyes & Dickens wanting to go and read some Dickens – and I will start with Margolyes’ favourite of the lot, Little Dorrit. I genuinely cannot recommend this show highly enough; it’s definitely one of my top five picks of this year’s Fringe, and if by some miracle you can still get a ticket, please for love of frog, do! Review of Margolyes & Dickens: The Best Bits Bronwen Winter Phoenix Performance ***** Vibe ***** Value for money ***** Summary ***** An outstanding show from one of the most beloved and treasured actors in the business, Margolyes & Dickens was a delight from start to finish. Don’t miss it.
Posted : 8th August 2024