[Boob]

Sorry not to add this to the existing Oliver! discussion, but it seems that at 12 pages long, we could maybe do with a new thread on a different issue to the colour of the leading lady.

It turns out that despite using the designs and choreography from Sam Mendes' 1994 London production, the director of the 2008 revival of Oliver! will be none other than Ruper Goold (artistic director of Headlong, director of RSC "The Tempest", Chichester "Macbeth", West End "The Glass Menagerie" amongst other things)! Apparently he wil be given free reign to put his stamp on the actors' performances, but will otherwise be using borrowed creative material and two leads he hasn't even cast.

[David]

Now I'm torn- I can't stand Oliver!, hate the reality casting malarky, but Goold is brilliant!

[TBFL]

as a director myself I'd find it hard to be given a set that's already been around for fourteen years. i'd much rather come up with new ideas, but there we go. can you imagine how complicated getting this show up again with all the rights that must hopefully be paid to Matthew Bourne, Anthony Ward, Sam mendes....not much fun having to work in those shadows.

Have they announced who is playing Fagin yet??

[Matthew Winn]

Please, no-one tell us that this is for the good of theatre! If they really wanted that, they'd give people like RG the freedom and support to create something that takes us forward, not back.

Although it's certainly true that it's a stupid idea to hobble a director by giving him some other production's set and a couple of leads who have yet to be chosen, and I personally would love to see the guaranteed income from reality TV casting be used to create some truly original productions rather than a clone of history, you also have to see this in the context of the reality TV concept as a whole. When they did Joseph their director was dead. Simply electing to use one who's alive is a step forward in my book.