AN absurdly talented cast of four bring hundreds of Charles Dickens’ best-loved characters to life in 70 minutes of madcap mayhem.

See fast-paced musical comedy Dickens Abridged at The Haymarket on October 11 as part of the theatre’s autumn season.

The show is a high-speed comic journey through Dickens' greatest hits, including Oliver Twist, Great Expectations (complete with flaming bride), David Copperfield, Bleak House in less than sixty seconds, A Tale of Two Cities featuring a fully functioning guillotine, Nicholas Nickleby, The Old Curiosity Shop, and, of course, A Christmas Carol.

It’s all the creation of Adam Long, founding member of The Reduced Shakespeare Company and co-creator of The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged).

The production also delves into the bizarre-but-true story of Charles Dickens’ own life, including his complicated romantic entanglements and his inexplicable enthusiasm for performing the bludgeoning scene from Oliver Twist over and over and over again.

Don’t miss this singing, dancing love letter to the life and works of the great man, which is unlike any Dickens-based show you've ever seen before.

Box office: 01256 844244, anvilarts.org.uk