Oliver. Book, Music & Lyrics by Lionel Bart. Freely adapted from the novel by Charles Dickens. Chichester Festival Theatre to 25 August 2024. Transfers to the Gielgud Theatre, London in December.

3✩✩✩ Review: William Russell.

“Bart's best show revived.”

Directed by Matthew Bourne with a superb set by Lez Brotherston this is a handsome staged show for all the famly which carefully skates over the problems presented by the novel, turning Fagin in aruably the performance of the production from Simon Lipkin as Fagin. This is no wicked Jew who exploits small boys but a just about loveable rogue who knows what he does is wrong but loves money more. Lipkin, backed by Bill Jenkins as the Artful Dodger, just about gets away with it and they survive to dance off together into the sunset at the end. Lipkin does a splendid cleaning up job, even more than Ron Moody, who created the role on stage and in the Carol Reed film version.

The production comes into more difficult territory over the treatment of Nancy, well sung by Shanay Holmes, who somehow or other manages to deliver As Long as He Loves Me in spite of the violence she suffers at the hands of Bill Sykes, the sadistic burglar, who is Fagin's companion in crime. For the rest, the small boys sing about food, glorious food, a trio of cuter little boys play Oliver at different performances, various character actors over act as assorted Dickensian villains and everyone rushes spectacularly round the set dancing at every possible opportunity and being very folksy. Bourne is great at getting his casts to move, less good at getting actors to actually act.

The set, apart from the closing scenes on a remarkably ramshackle structure supposed to be London Bridge, shape shifts continually – Brotherston is particlarly good at this kind of thing – and may well fit on to the Gielgud stage in spite of having been designed to cope with the demands of Chichester where the audience is on three sides of the acting area. It comes over as a preview of a Christmas show rather than an exciting fresh look at Bart's best musical – and a very good Christmas show at that. Maybe it always was that but when first staged at the New Theatre, now in it all seemed more ground breaking than this version.Today the songs are all old friends, and there is nothing to shock Aunt Edna on display even if child abuse, child poverty, and girl friend beating up do cause qualms today. There is none of the zealous exposure of the evils of society which was Dickens purpose in writing the novel. Maybe there never was in Bart's original show but one might have expected a little more from this latest version which turns out to be glossy entertainment for all the family and at that level worth every penny spent on staging it and going to see it.

Cast

Cian Eagle-Service, Raphael Lorniets, Jack Philpott – Oliver.

Oscar Conlan-Morray – Mr Bumble.

Katy Secombe – Widow Corney.

Stephen Matthews – Mr Sowerberry/Dr Grimwig.

James Birkett -Mrs Sowerberry/Mrs Bedwin.

Bethan Keens – Charlotte.

Callum Hudson -Noah Claypole.

Billy Jenkibs – The Artful Dodger,

Harry Cross – Dandy.

Lochlan White – Charley Bates.

Simon Lipkin – Fagin.

AaronSidwell – Bill Sykes.

Shanay Holmes – Nancy.

Isabella Methven – Bet.

Philip Franks - Mr Brownlow.

Randy Gibson, Charles Hodson Prior – alternate Dodgers.

Rachael Archer, Tegan Bannister,Adam Boardman, Ebony Jonelle, Peter Nash, Joah Patel-Foster,Sam Peggs, Leah Vassell, Matthew Whennell-Clark – The Company.

Creatives

Director & Choreographer – Matthew Bourne.

Co-Director – Jean-Pierre van der Spuy.

Designer – Lez Brotherston.

Musical Supervisor & Conductor – Graham Hurman.

Sound Designer – Adam Fisher.

Projection Designer – George Reeve.

Fight Director – Claire llewellyn of Re-Annie Ltd.