Chaplin: Birth of a Tramp

What a sad business, being funny  Limelight (1952)

For over 100 years, Charlie Chaplin has been the world’s best-loved clown.  His brilliant comic creation of “The Little Tramp” is the first and most recognisable cinematic icon in history.  But his remarkable story of stardom and success has a darker side.

Raised in the horrific, grinding poverty of a Victorian slum, Charlie never knew the security of a stable family.  Whilst his parents destroyed themselves with disastrous ambition and unshakeable vice, Charlie was thrown at the mercy of the workhouse.  Desperate to escape his feral existence on the streets of South London, Charlie became captivated by the shining lights of music hall, and gradually began to see a way out.

Critically-acclaimed Arrows & Traps return with an examination of the relationship between experience and creativity, and invite you to discover how Chaplin spun personal tragedy into universal comedy, in a psychological exploration of one of the world’s most remarkable lives.

This production is being produced with the full endorsement of the Chaplin Estate and the Chaplin Family.