Oliver!

Synopsis

Dickens' Victorian story of a boy in a London workhouse and his adventures on the way to his family. Lionel Bart's most successful musical contains some of the great villains of all time including Fagin and Bill Sykes. The songs include "Food glorious food", "You Got to Pick a Pocket or Two", "Who will buy this wonderful morning", "I am reviewing the situation" and "Consider yourself at Home".

Our Review:

John Dixon - 19 September 2012

Can I have some more please? Is the only way to sum up Oliver! which is settling in to its long run at the Theatre Royal, Newcastle.

Every part of the staging from the large orchestra to the North East selection of children playing the workhouse orphans, is perfect. The vast set combined with the extensive cast fill the stage in a way I cannot remember happening before at the Theatre Royal.

While the Dickens story of Oliver Twist is at the heart of the musical, it is the Lionel Bart score containing so many showstoppers that provides the magic. Food, Glorious Food, Where Is Love?, It’s A Fine Life, As Long As He Needs Me and Reviewing The Situation, are just some of the musical delights, all originally choreographed by Matthew Bourne and restaged for this tour by Geoffrey Garratt.

Fagin is superbly played by Brian Conley, who gives the character so many comedy moments (without distracting from the story) in a way only he can. The chemistry with his “...

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Latest User Review

National Youth Theatre UK - 23 April 2013:

Brilliant rendition. Edwards lacked a certain prerogative in the orphanage. Morrissey was fantastic as per, Fletcher played Bill admirably, Tunningley possessed an incredible vulnerability and believability, Barks was a tad bland & Langham was brilliant. Stupendous as ever. ...

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