Rating: 
Summary: This is absolutely the best play I have ever seen!
Review: This is my favorite production of any kind. Even at eight hours it does not seem long enough. I saw it on television in the 80's and have been looking for it on video ever since. All the actors are excellent. I cannot say enough about it. The characters are rich and varied and the story is captivating. As a play it is very finely done. It is well worth the money. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll get angry and when it's all done you'll want to start all over again.
Rating:
Summary: Nine hours isn't nearly enough!
Review: This is the absolute best production ever performed, without exception.At first, I was a little daunted by the fact that it was nine hours long, but it didn't take long for me to become absolutely captivated. To say that the performances of the RSC actors are spectacular is an understatement. Between the 42 of them, they play hundreds of roles, and each one is a fully developed character that is completely different from the others they play. (Sometimes it's even hard to tell two characters are played by the same actor.) The only two actors who play one character are Roger Rees (Nicholas) and David Threlfall (Smike), both of whom are absolutely wonderful in their roles. Although of course the entire cast is too numerous to mention individually, big cheers go out to all of them, including Emily Richard (Nicholas' sister Kate), John Woodvine (their villainous uncle Ralph), Bob Peck (John Browdie and Sir Mulberry Hawk, two extremely different roles!), Suzanne Bertish (Fanny Squeers/Peg Sliderskew/Miss Snevellicci), and especially Edward Petherbridge, who plays Ralph's kindhearted clerk and Nicholas' friend, Newman Noggs. One important warning, however: I do not recommend that you buy the DVD set. A&E has done a lousy job of putting "Nicholas Nickleby" on DVD's. There are some fantastic sequences that have been cut and some horrible errors that have been made (i.e. a character's voice echoing BEFORE he yells instead of AFTER; the fact that some really nice background music has been cut). Although the majority of the play is still intact, I highly recommend purchasing the video set instead. The only other drawback is that at approximately nine hours, "Nicholas Nickleby" is far too short. :-)
Rating:
Summary: Essential Dickens
Review: This is the first time I have ever seen a Dickens novel portrayed in all its complexity as characters move through trials to triumphs of the spirit--or well-deserved damnation. Compassion and redemption win out. The performances of Roger Rees, as Nicholas, and David Threlfall, as Smike, are striking and deeply moving. The entire cast, which plays multiple roles, is just outstanding. I have loved this version since its broadcast on PBS, and am so pleased to be able to buy it on video. It is truly a classic, and fortunate for those of us who were not able to see the play in performance.
If you love Dickens, you will love this production.
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