Laugh Like the Dickens: Humorous Stories with Mr. Dickens

Join Professor Emeritus and Dickens performer Kenneth Noll for a selection of humor stories from Charles Dickens!

Many think of Charles Dickens as a dull, serious Victorian writer. This could not be further from the truth! Dickens wove in hilarity into his novels and was a vivacious and gregarious person. He dressed quite flamboyantly, and was a bit of a dandy. Charles and Catherine loved to throw dinners and parties for their friends and family. His obituary described him as “The greatest humourist whom England ever produced, Shakespeare himself certainly not excepted.”

Particularly in his early works, Dickens showed his talent in creating vivid and eccentric characters, absurd situations and comic dialogues. His witty jokes and wordplay raised issues of social injustice, corruption and inequality.

Two of this evening’s selections are from “The Pickwick Papers.” Pickwick was published in book form in 1837 and was Dickens’ first published fictional work. The comedy in Pickwick showed his irreverence for established institutions and provided caricatures of groups of people. Dickens saw through all types of deception and pretense, whether it is personal or institutional.

About the Performer

Kenneth Noll is a Professor Emeritus of Microbiology at the University of Connecticut and, as a hobby, has been performing in community theater near his home in Storrs, Connecticut for over 20 years. He took up portraying Charles Dickens as a way to spread cheer and good will during the Christmas Season. He also portrays Charles Darwin and General Israel Putnam in libraries, museums, schools, and community events. If you would like him to perform for you, contact him at noll.ken@gmail.com.

Registration is required to attend this in-person event.