Overview

The wide expanse of Dickens' novel on the riches and hardships of the Industrial Revolution is triumphantly brought to life in his skillful adaptation of Hard Times for a cast of four. The nineteen or so main speaking parts are portrayed by two actors and two actresses, each of whom also takes a share of the passages of direct narration; the various interior and exterior settings can be simply but effectively suggested with a minimum of props and furniture. Equally, the author stresses the play can be produced on a larger scale with each role cast individually, thus providing greater opportunities for more elaborate staging, in such scenes as the entry of Sleary's Horse Riding Circus, the Union Meeting and the rescue from the Old Hell Shaft.