Based on the Tom Pinch story from the novel, playwrights Dilley and Clifton had a major achievement with their adaptation of Charles Dickens' "Martin Chuzzlewit." Opening in 1881 at London's Vaudeville Theatre critics acknowledge that the play as a "considerable success." Making Pinch the central character of the action brought a new approach to Dickens adaptations which put more emphasis on character development and less on the large scale melodramatic extravagance. After the play's premiere production, the popular and successful actor E. S. Willard secured the rights and produced it as part of his repertoire. He toured the play throughout America and then revived it at St. James's Theatre in 1903.