A theater has been criticized for issuing a ‘woke’ trigger warning for a Charles Dickens play, warning audiences of Victorian-era insults.
Bromley Little Theater in south-east London is helming the new adaptation of the author’s 1839 novel Nicholas Nickleby, which is said to contain ‘Dickensian insults’.
A content warning on the theater’s website also tells people that the production “includes abuse (physical, emotional, child), violence, suicide, murder, sexual assault, kidnapping, mental illness.” [and] sexism’.
The original book contains Victorian-era insults such as the words “hussy,” “ass” and “queer.”
The same theater previously warned audiences that its version of Charlotte Bronte’s classic Jane Eyre contained ‘arson’.
But critics have accused bosses of going too far in warning of potential concerns.
Conservative MP Sir John Hayes said: ‘Dickens is by definition full of Victorian insults because it reflected the language of the working people of the time.
‘Dickens’ novels were an exploration of the human condition in all its glory and all its horrors. It was full of humor and social commentary.”
Bromley Little Theatre’s production of Charles Dickens’ Nicholas Nickleby comes with content warnings about the use of Victorian-era ‘insults’
Charles Dickens (pictured) published the original novel in 1839 – it was adapted for the stage in 1980, as used in this latest production, by Tony Award-winning playwright David Edgar
The warnings to the public were shared on Bromley Little Theatre’s websites
The MP for South Holland and Deepings in Lincolnshire said this Sun: ‘Producing a vanilla-flavored version of Charles Dickens’ work contradicts the meaning of the writer’s work.
“Anyone who sees this has every right to ask what the Dickens is up to.”
Bromley Little Theatre’s production of the Dickens novel, in the 1980 adaptation by Tony Award-winning playwright David Edgar, ran from December 4 to December 14.
The theater’s website has a ‘Content Warnings’ page, which includes the entry for Nicholas Nickleby, ‘Language: some “Dickensian” insults’, as well as the entry for ‘Abuse’.
It also warns visitors that “effects” include “loud noises, gunshots and blur.”
The guidelines for their September production of Jane Eyre state: ‘Some of the language and views reflect the period in history in which the original book was written.’
The entry goes on to say that ‘Themes and triggers’ include ‘Child abuse and death, mental illness, arson’.
After being criticized for its content warnings about the Nicholas Nickleby production, Bromley Little Theater has released a defiant statement on its website in response.
Nicholas Nickleby’s production was staged at the Bromley Little Theater this month (pictured).
It says: ‘We were thrilled to be labeled ‘woke’ for our decision to issue content warnings on all our productions, including our most recent festive epic – Nicholas Nickleby.
‘We would like to correct the suggestion that we were presenting a watered-down or ‘vanilla’ version of this Dickens classic: our performance of David Edgar’s two-part adaptation remained faithful to the original, including scenes depicting sexual assault, child abuse, and suicide.
‘We are steadfast in our belief that the views expressed in some stories written at different times were wrong then and remain wrong today.
“But rather than erase these stories, we will continue to present them in their original form. This honors the playwrights, the stories and the past. It also encourages conversation and debate.
“Content warnings are important for those who are anxious about watching our shows or want to avoid certain topics, making BLT a safe and inclusive space for our community.
“The warnings are available on our website for those who choose to read them.”
The statement further urged people to book tickets for shows scheduled for 2025 – with “content warnings coming soon” – including Agatha Christie’s A Mirror Crack’d, which will “contain at least one murder” and The Full Monty, which will “guarantee nudity ‘ has.
MailOnline has contacted Bromley Little Theater for further comment.
The theater shared scenes from the production in a video trailer posted publicly on YouTube
The guidance for this new version from Nicholas Nickleby follows similar ‘content warnings’ associated with Dickens adaptations and other productions.
In October, it emerged that ITV warned viewers that Sir David Lean’s famous 1948 film adaptation of Dickens’ Oliver Twist contained “language from a bygone era”.
Meanwhile, Nottingham University was criticized for its ‘degrading teaching’ by placing a trigger warning on Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales because it contained ‘expressions of the Christian faith’.
Frank Furedi, emeritus professor of sociology at the University of Kent, said: ‘It is strange to warn students of Chaucer about Christian expressions of faith.
‘Since all the characters in the stories are immersed in a Christian experience, there will undoubtedly be many expressions of faith. The problem is not Chaucer’s so-called student readers, but the virtue-signaling, ignorant academics.”
The Mail On Sunday previously revealed in February 2022 that leaders at the University of Leeds had issued ‘content warnings’ on dozens of works studied by students on English courses – including Tarzan, Black Beauty and Robinson Crusoe.
Edgar Rice Burroughs’ 1912 classic Tarzan Of The Apes included a warning that the story of an orphaned boy raised by primates contained “expressions of racism.”
Students were also warned that Anna Sewell’s 1877 novel Black Beauty contained “depictions of cruelty to animals.”
Pictured is a scene from Bromley Little Theatre’s recent production of Nicholas Nickleby
And Daniel Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe was also highlighted because it “discusses race and slavery” as well as “attitudes typical of the time.”
Earlier this year, London’s Globe Theater issued a warning that Shakespeare’s Antony and Cleopatra contained “depictions of suicide, violence and war.”
Theatergoers were also warned that the play, which starred Elizabeth Taylor in a 1963 film adaptation, was discriminatory against black women because it contained misogynistic references – a combination of ‘misogyny’ and ‘noir’.
A Globe production of Julius Caesar, which depicts the fatal stabbing of the Roman dictator, previously warned audiences that the play would contain “depictions of war, self-harm and suicide, stage blood and weapons including knives.”
And a version of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, also at the theater on London’s South Bank, warned that Shakespeare’s play contained “language of violence, sexual references, misogyny and racism.”