A Tale of Two Cities

The first produced adaptation, Tom Taylor's version of "A Tale of Two Cities" was sanctioned and overseen by Charles Dickens who was an intimate of Taylor's. Produced at the reputable Lyceum Theatre, the play opened to good reviews and was constantly revived. Extremely popular playwright of the Victorian stage, Tom Taylor wrote over 100 plays. Well educated and from a prosperous family, Taylor, along with being an editor of Punch and art critic for The Times, was Professor of English Literature at the University of London. He is remembered today as the author of the play "Our American Cousin" which is associated with Abraham Lincoln's assassination.