The tour had been long and exhausting. Audiences were huge and everywhere ecstatic. The artist performed his usual greatest hits and was mobbed in the street outside the theatre. Profits were enormous and ticket touts had a field day. The performer found sleep impossible after the usual adrenaline rush and took to using sedatives. Who’s this, you might ask. Frank Sinatra in the 1950s? Mick Jagger in the 60s? Actually, no. This is Charles Dickens on his American Tour in 1857.
Dickens began his reading tours for the same reason rock stars do today. That’s where the money is. Nowadays top performers make more money from touring than making records. Dickens made nearly £20,000 from just one American tour. Estimates vary, depending on the basis of your calculation, but today this would be worth hundreds of thousands of pounds. He created a performance out of selections from his novels – the most popular scenes, such as Sykes’ murder of Nancy in Oliver Twist. If you think of his novels as albums, he did a medley of his most popular tracks. And, speaking again in musical terms, he re-arranged them, editing them to make them tighter and more powerful. Stagecraft was employed, as Dickens, like a singer, enacted the scenes with dramatic gestures. Mood changes were dynamic as he moved from quiet, poignant scenes to highly melodramatic ones. He filled 76 venues across America on that tour and repeated it several times in Britain.

(The caption should read “Dickens first reading tour for profit in Britain“)

No one else was in a position to do that, for the same reason large tours today only work financially for the most successful artists. Why? Because the performer needs a huge back catalogue of greatest hits. And Dickens certainly had that. And more importantly, he had always sold to the general public, including the less well-off. He sold his novels relatively cheaply, serialised weekly or monthly. His pop singles, if you like. He had a huge following, a fan base in today’s terms.
Dickens loved performing. He enjoyed the applause and adulation as much as any modern pop star. Some criticised him for demeaning his art. He didn’t quite become the type of prima donna we know today, famous for their backstage “riders”, precise dressing room requirements involving alcohol and entertainment. But Charles Dickens knew his worth and enjoyed life. On the American tour he established what he called his system. In his own words ” At 7 in the morning, in bed, a tumbler of new cream and two tablespoonful of rum. At 12, a sherry cobbler and a biscuit. At 3 (dinner time) a pint of champagne. At 5 minutes to 8, an egg beaten up with a glass of sherry.”
Way to go Charles!