One of the darkest and most romantic of Dickens' novels, A Tale of Two Cities was adapted for the stage by the dream team of Terence Rattigan and John Gielgud in 1935, but a planned West End production was never staged. It finally received its professional world premiere at the King's Head Theatre in September 2013. In a time when governments all over the world are facing down political unrest and fierce protests, this revolutionary story has never been more relevant. The adaptation, edited by King's Head artistic director Adam Spreadbury-Maher, marries three of the finest artists in their own fields that England has ever known: Dickens the master story-teller, Rattigan the great playwright and Gielgud the mercurial actor. Gielgud intended to play both Sydney Carton and a number of other roles, and this adaptation reflects that ambition by having thirty characters played by just eight actors.
