Oliver! extends West End run and confirms initial London casting

Oliver! has extended its West End run – before even beginning its load-in at the Gielgud Theatre.

The hit production, which bagged a five-star review from WhatsOnStage when it first opened at Chichester’s Festival Theatre over the summer, is devised by Cameron Mackintosh, with direction and choreography by Matthew Bourne, with co-director Jean-Pierre van der Spuy.

Adapted from Charles Dickens’ Oliver Twist by Lionel Bart, Oliver! follows an orphaned boy of the same name as he escapes the confines of the workhouse and finds refuge in the city’s underworld. Tunes include “Food Glorious Food”, “Consider Yourself”, ”You’ve Got to Pick-a-Pocket or Two”, and “As Long As He Needs Me.”

Opening in previews on 14 December 2024, it has now extended its booking window to 28 September 2025. Sunday matinees will begin on 9 March 2025, with additional midweek matinees added in July and August 2025 for the summer holidays.

The show has also confirmed initial casting. Returning to the cast is Simon Lipkin as Fagin, Shanay Holmes (Miss Saigon, The Bodyguard) as Nancy, Aaron Sidwell (Henry VI, Wicked) as Bill Sikes, Billy Jenkins (Les Misérables, BBC’s Dodger) as the Artful Dodger, Philip Franks (The Rocky Horror Show, Witness for the Prosecution) as Mr Brownlow, Oscar Conlon-Morrey as Mr Bumble, Katy Secombe (The Music Man, Les Misérables) as Widow Corney, Stephen Matthews (Strictly Ballroom, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang) as Mr Sowerberry/Dr Grimwig, and Jamie Birkett (Peter Pan Goes Wrong, Mamma Mia The Party) as Mrs Sowerberry/Mrs Bedwin. The full London cast will be announced soon.

Also on the creative team are designer Lez Brotherston, musical supervisor and conductor Graham Hurman, lighting designers Paule Constable and Ben Jacobs, sound designer Adam Fisher, and projection designer George Reeve, with original orchestrations by William David Brohn, orchestral adaptation by Stephen Metcalfe, choreographic associates Etta Murfitt and Sam Archer, casting directors Felicity French and Paul Wooller and children’s casting director Verity Naughton.