Two years ago, we learned about Average Romp, a new-to-us audio drama company from the UK, headed by producer and writer Jonathan Morris. They had produced an adaptation of Charles Dickens' The Chimes in 2022, and thanks to a distribution deal with Big Finish the following year, we found out about it and reviewed it. This year, Average Romp returns with two more holiday tales from the great writer, and no, it's not yet another version of A Christmas Carol! We love that story around here, of course, but I think it's been done enough, so I am quite pleased to see folks take an interest in producing some of Dickens lesser-known works.
Average Romp has packaged together two stories, The Cricket on the Hearth and The Haunted Man, in this new release. Which is great for listeners because you get two fantastic stories with a total runtime of nearly 2 hours, for a great price. (And it's even a better deal if you bundle it with The Chimes!) But the only downside is that we only get one piece of cover art for these two stories, which is a bit of a shame because both the cover for The Chimes and for this release (which features a scene from The Haunted Man), are designed by Clayton Hickman and they're so good, I would have loved to have one for the third story as well.
Cover art woes aside, let's dig into these two productions. Though they are two completely unrelated stories with different casts, since they are only available as a set, I will review both in this post. As I've already mentioned, we have talked many times over the years about the numerous audio adaptations of A Christmas Carol, both in the podcast and on the blog. That book is far and away the most well-known of Dickens' holiday stories, and possibly the most recognizable of all his works overall for most people. These two stories have some similar themes and even some similar characters, but they are great tales in their own right that I think many listeners will enjoy.
The Cricket on the Hearth
Adapted from the 1845 Charles Dickens novella by Eddie Robson, Average Romp's audio dramatization of The Cricket on the Hearth comes in with a runtime of just over 55 minutes. The Dickens work has a subtitle of "A Fairy Tale of Home," which implies somewhat of a magical or fantastical element to the story, and though the producers have shortened the title, the production retains those elements from the original work. While not the first audio drama adaptation of this story (I am aware of two others: one by NBC in 1945 and one by Colonial Radio Theatre in 2011), this production by Average Romp levels up the quality in every regard. The script is paced nicely and is easy to follow, the acting is superb, and the sound design and music are spot on and support the performances well.
Summary:
The Cricket on the Hearth concerns a carrier called John Peerybingle who fears his wife Dot may be unfaithful to him due to their age difference. The story also features an ill-matched wedding between the imperious factory owner Tackleton and the free-spirited May. A supernatural element is provided by a talking cricket that speaks to John after a drunken night out.
From the opening seconds of this audio drama, this story pulled me right in. I have read the book on which it is based, but it has been quite a few years, and though I could remember some of the basic plot points, I could recall none of the specifics. What I do clearly remember thinking at the time was that this was not Dickens' best work. I couldn't quite articulate exactly what wasn't clicking for me with the story when I read it, but I will say that I did not have that issue at all with Robson's script. Apparently, he was able to pull out the essential elements of the source material, retaining that Dickensian charm, and elevate it for the audio medium in such a way that just worked for me. The dialogue was great, the flow of things moved along nicely, and I didn't feel as though there were any wasted minutes in the production.
As mentioned above, the story does have some similar themes to A Christmas Carol, namely that we have a well-to-do older man, Tackleton, who is not the most agreeable fellow and who also doesn't care all that much for Christmas. But while he may be like Scrooge in personality, the story itself differs quite a bit in other regards. The rest of the characters run the spectrum you might expect from a Dickens work, from sweet and demure to aloof and self-absorbed, and everything in between. These colorful characters populate a wintery story world and tell a tale that has both somber and sweet moments with touches of humor sprinkled here and there. One of my favorite lines, which was a Robson addition and not from the Dickens text, was when a character makes a comment referencing how Jane Austen's books were filling women's heads with romantic ideas, saying, "Miss Austen has a lot to answer for!"
Cast and Crew:
Graham Fellows as John Peerybingle
Jason Forbes as Edward
Geoff Leesley as Tackleton
Tony Marshall as Caleb
Bronté Barbé as Dot
Rosa Escoda as May
Katie Moore as Bertha
Producer - Jonathan Morris
Writer - Eddie Robson
Director - Lisa Bowerman
Sound designer/composer - Howard Carter
Cover artwork - Clayton Hickman
Recorded at the Soundhouse Studio, London
The cast and director: (L to R) Rosa Escoda, Tony Marshall, Bronté Barbé, Graham Fellows, Geoff Leesley, Jason Forbes, Lisa Bowerman, and Katie Moore
The cast was simply amazing. Every single actor gave a splendid performance and brought their respective characters to life in a believable way. They were a joy to listen to. I especially loved Bronté Barbé's portrayal of Dot; she had some great moments that really shone. As did Katie Moore as Bertha, who has a few tender moments that were played flawlessly. But as I said, the entire cast was fantastic. There's not a single performance to criticize here, which speaks not only to the acting chops on display, but also to the skill of the director in being able to tease out the perfect performances from these skilled actors.
The sound design of the production is also of very high quality. Though there are not really any explosive moments where the sound design is particularly obvious, that's because the story doesn't call for it, and every environment and situation that the characters find themselves in is designed expertly and mixed well so that the audience gets the immersion needed to visualize the scene. Likewise, the music, while minimal, also does its job well. Most scene transitions are fade out/fade in so there is not a lot of underscoring or cues between scenes happening in this show, but what is there is very complementary to the story and fits well.
As we wrap up with this audio drama, just a couple of quick content notes. While we would characterize this audio drama as clean and family-friendly, there is one instance of a mild swear when Tackleton becomes annoyed with the chirping of the titular cricket. There are also depictions of drunkenness and perceived marital infidelity. As is always the case with shows that contain these sorts of elements, we recommend parents listen first to gauge the appropriateness for their children.
Overall, The Cricket on the Hearth is very enjoyable to listen to. It's an absolutely delightful tale performed by a fabulous cast and accompanied by great soundscapes and music that come together in a high-quality audio drama production. The sweet, lighthearted story has bits of humor sprinkled throughout—a couple of the lines elicited a hearty chuckle while I listened—and I think its heartwarming conclusion will make it one that many will want to add to their annual Christmas lineup. It is one of my favorite releases of the year, and I think it's well worth checking out.
Extended Preview:
The Haunted Man
First published in 1848, The Haunted Man and the Ghost’s Bargain: A Fancy for Christmas-Time is the full title of Charles Dickens' novella that Average Romp has adapted in this collection. This one comes in at about an hour in duration and, in comparison to The Cricket on the Hearth, has a much darker tone. The script was written by Jonathan Morris, and this is my first exposure to this particular Dickens' tale. After thoroughly enjoying the first entry in this pair of shows, I had high hopes for this one, and it did not disappoint. Once again, we have an excellent cast, a great script, and top-notch sound design and music coming together to result in a fabulous audio drama.
Summary:
The Haunted Man is a darker tale about a scientist called Redlaw who is consumed by regret. Visited by a spirit in the form of his own shadow, he is given the chance to forget his troubles. However, this gift manifests as an infection and when other characters lose their sorrows we see how they are changed for the worse.
As you can probably tell from both the summary and artwork above, this story is dealing with much bleaker and somber themes than The Cricket on the Hearth. This production is almost entirely opposite from that one tonally. While Cricket is overall light, warm, and humorous, The Haunted Man is dark, cold, and grim throughout. But the story doesn't leave us in the doldrums. There is a beautiful message contained in the dark path we tread alongside Redlaw on the way to the eventual light at the end of the tunnel when the story concludes. It's a nice contrast to pair the straightforward romcom-ish Cricket with the darker, deeper, and more symbolic storytelling in The Haunted Man.
Something about this audio adaptation that I really liked was how Morris uses the story framing device of Charles Dickens telling the story to the listener. There is even a reference to A Christmas Carol at the start. It's a nice way to set things up for the listener, and also allows for the occasional use of Dickens as a narrator as the tale unfolds. Like its partner in this set of stories, The Haunted Man also has elements reminiscent of A Christmas Carol, and in this case, it is the showing of possible future outcomes to our protagonist by a spirit. But again, the differences are greater than the similarities, and Morris does a fine job of bringing this melancholic tale to life for the ear. After scanning over the source material, I observed a few changes he made, such as simplifying some characters' names and condensing dialogue, that made the story flow much better in the medium of audio. He also added a line in the latter part of the story that I quite liked, which, as far as I know, is not from any of Dickens' work. It was something along the lines of, "grief is love by another name … you can't have one without the other." I think this might be a more recent concept/sentiment, and I have heard similar ideas pop up in other places before, but I thought it fit nicely here.
Cast and Crew:
Paterson Joseph as Redlaw
Jeff Rawle as Philip
Tim Speyer as William
Dan Starkey as Charles Dickens
Matthew Steer as Tetterby
Rosie Baker as Sophia
Tilly Vosburgh as Milly
Writer/producer - Jonathan Morris
Director - Lisa Bowerman
Sound designer/composer - Howard Carter
Cover artwork - Clayton Hickman
Recorded at the Soundhouse Studio, London
The cast: (L to R) Rosie Baker, Dan Starkey, Matthew Steer, Paterson Joseph, Jeff Rawle, Tim Speyer, Tilly Vosburgh
This audio drama features another splendid cast. Once again, every single role was played with perfection. I found nothing that I thought could have been improved on with this cast and their performances. Paterson Joseph was just fantastic as our POV character. His deep, sonorous voice fit the tormented Redlaw perfectly, and he brought a necessary gravity to the role through his portrayal. Conversely, the bright, chipper Milly Swidger was expertly played by Tilly Vosburgh, and she was a delight. These two stood out to me, but the entire cast was excellent. Perfect casting, directing, and acting again in this production.
The sound design for this show was really good. This story actually had some elements requiring the SFX to be a bit more at the forefront, and it was executed quite well. The effects used for the phantom/shadow were pretty great, as were the ones used for the little "magical" moments in the story, which I will not describe in more detail for spoiler reasons. But there was also a nice sound design moment in a scene where we have a perspective shift for the listener as we move back and forth between two characters who are speaking through a door. It was a small thing, but I really liked it and thought it was a nice touch. And there was also more music in this one compared to the other show, and it had some really cool moments in the score.
The one small negative with this audio drama was in the mixing. I thought there were a couple of moments where the pacing or timing in the editing was a little off and made for a slightly awkward flow. It was only at two or three points, and we're probably talking about microseconds here, but it was something that I noticed. I'd venture to guess that most listeners will not pick up on it, though.
Aside from the obvious note about the overall tone of this production being a little darker, there are not really any content issues to be aware of. There is no strong language, and the only other thing that might be a caution is that there is a scene in which a husband and wife have a heated argument that might feel a little too close to real life for folks who grew up in an environment that was like that, but the situation in this story is resolved quite quickly. But as with the first show, parents may want to listen first to see if this is one for younger ears.
In summary, The Haunted Man is another stellar production from Average Romp. While I didn't enjoy this story as much as The Cricket on the Hearth, that is no reflection of the production quality; that's just personal preference. This show has a great blending of compelling story, excellent acting, immersive sound design, and fitting music to result in an engaging audio experience with deep themes to ponder. And though it's not your typical, warm holiday tale, it's one worth checking out this Christmas if you enjoy stories that are more introspective and symbolic.
Extended Preview:
Conclusion
I thoroughly enjoyed listening to both The Cricket on the Hearth and The Haunted Man. Now, along with The Chimes, I've heard three excellent audio dramas from this production house, and I really hope to hear more. These are very well-produced audio dramas that are well worth the investment of a few bucks to get to enjoy them. You can purchase this set of two shows or bundle them with The Chimes at the Average Romp website. Their e-commerce system is set for British pounds, but you can use PayPal to purchase with US dollars or whatever your local currency is, and it will make the conversion for you.
J.D. Sutter is the host and producer of the Audio Theatre Central podcast and editor of the blog. A lifelong fan of audio drama, he is an industry critic who has guest lectured and spoken at conferences on the subject. J.D. is also a voiceover artist, podcast consultant, and chair of the ATC Seneca Awards, the annual awards for the family-friendly audio drama industry.
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