Christmas Eve 2008

Nikolai Gogol

A BBC Radio adaptation by Adam Beeson of Nikolai Gogol's classic short story. On the night before Christmas, when Devil is free to roam the Earth and perform mischief, after stealing the moon out of the sky he tries to get back at Vakula, the village blacksmith of the town of Dikanka, because of Vakula's beautiful religious paintings. Meanwhile, Vakula is in love with Oksana, the beautiful daughter of a Cossack, but the only way he can win her is to present her with the golden slippers of the Tsaritsa ... from off the Tsaritsa's feet! Gogol ... Dave Anderson The Devil ... Thomas Hickey Vakula ... Steven McNicholl Oksana ... Lucy Paterson Chub ... Mark McDonnell Mayor ... Crawford Logan Deacon ... Ralph Riach Directed by Bruce Young Broadcast on BBC Radio 4 24 December 2008

This recording is part of the Old Time Radio collection.