Eliza Emily Donnithorne time in Australia, told the story to their father. However, they arrived in Australia after "Great Expectations" was published. Other historians propose an alternative explanation: that Dickens did not base Miss Havisham on Donnithorne, but that Sydney readers drew the connection when "Great Expectations" was published in 1861, and over time embellished Donnithorne's story with details borrowed from Dickens' book. This is the tentative conclusion reached by Evelyn Juers in her 2012 book "The Recluse", the most thorough recent investigation of the story. Opera: "Miss Donnithorne's Maggot" is an operatic work, with music by Peter Maxwell Davies and text by
Matthew Dickens John (at different times) in Miss Saigon, C.C. White in Dreamgirls and Stephen King's Carrie. He also co-starred in the original Australian cast of Smokey Joe's Cafe. Matthew died of prostate cancer on January 8, 2013. Matthew Dickens Matthew Dickens (October 19, 1961 – January 8, 2013) was a writer, producer and director. Matthew Dickens was born in an ambulance on a highway on the outskirts of Nancy, France. Matthew’s early training as an actor began at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in DC, mentored by the late founder, director/choreographer/educator Mike Malone, who he later joined as a