Feature ArticleDecember 5, 2001
LAND O'LAKES NewsWeb HomeContact Us
Dickens night in Sharbot Lakeby David BrisonDavid Bird, recently assigned to the Sharbot Lake OPP, read selected passages from the original text of A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens between courses of a four-course meal on Sunday at the Sharbot Lake Country Inn. The restaurant was packed. It had been sold out well in advance of the event.
David
got hooked on A Christmas Carol at age eight, when a teacher read it to him in his
native England. He now
owns several copies of the tale and has always wanted to perform it in
public. The opportunity
came through a chance conversation with Cathy Saban over coffee at the
Inn.
David was a member of the police force in London, England, before coming to Perth, where he served as a member of the Perth police force for 11 years. While in Perth, he performed with several theatrical groups.
The tale he read was familiar to those who have seen it performed on television or in the theatre. However, the original written text has many verbal asides that arent contained in performed versions. For example, at the beginning, there is a little discourse on the phrase, dead as a doornail (referring to Marleys death) -- noting that dead as a coffin nail might be more appropriate.
Those
present are going to find it hard to keep a straight face if they ever
have occasion to be arrested by Constable Bird.
However, if he can play a police officer as superbly as he did
Dickens, they probably wont laugh for long.
