Overview
On the darkest night of the year—December 21, 1865—a humble Victorian shop becomes the unlikely setting for a thrilling adventure. At its center is the real-life hat of Charles Dickens, once used to carry water to train wreck victims. When two thieves plot to steal the hat, young Kit embarks on an unforgettable journey to stop their scheme and rescue her father from debtors’ prison.
Set in the heart of 19th-century London, MR. DICKENS’ HAT is a witty and heartfelt play-with-songs that blends Dickensian storytelling with playful theatricality. Featuring nine original “Victorian carols” and a diverse cast of colorful characters, it offers a suspenseful, sentimental, and joy-filled tale perfect for winter programming. Not a Christmas show per se—but rich with the warmth, wonder, and generosity audiences seek each December.
Casting & Production
Casting
The play may be performed by an ensemble of 6 to 15 actors. If performed by the minimum of 6, the following doubling scheme should be observed:
ONE — KIT
TWO — NED/COUNTESS/STYFFLIP/MUM
THREE — MRS. PRATTLE/LOCKSMITH/MOTHER/PIGGOT
FOUR — MR. GARBLETON/GNAT/OLD ENGINEER/POLLY
FIVE — LADY PLUME/WITSLOW
SIX — FATHER/FLEECE
Casting Note:
This ensemble should reflect the racial/ethnic diversity of our current world, rather than the more homogenous Victorian London. Since most of the cast embody different genders, ages, classes, etc. over the course of the play, please consider trans and nonbinary actors for any role they are comfortable playing, but use the character pronouns given in dialogue and narration.
Setting
Place
London, England, and environs: the hat shop of Garbleton and Prattle; a cell in Queen’s Prison; a castle outside London; a church in Henley-on-Thames; a room in St. James’s Palace; Hungerford Railway Bridge; and the streets and alleys between these locations.
Time
December 21-22, 1865
Reviews
“This extraordinary comic drama plays out as Story Theatre, in which a company of actors set out to improvise the tale surrounding MR. DICKENS’ HAT…There are also some beautiful original carols, written by Hollinger, that help create that Victorian feeling…It’s a wonderfully inventive piece of theatre.”
—Chicago Theatre Review
“Hollinger’s play has wit and warmth. In a tip of the hat to the master, he populates it with classic Dickens characters: lonely, bereaved and impoverished folks who, despite their situation, remain hopeful, kind and loyal. Despite the hardships fate and society impose, they persevere and prevail.”
—Chicago Herald
“An immensely wise and witty new show to which Dickens himself might readily tip his hat…Very charming and very sophisticated…it very well could be a new holiday classic.”
—WTTW-TV (PBS)
Media
