Oliver ! , Gielgud Theatre
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Since 2024, Matthew Bourne has been revisiting Lionel Bart’s Oliver!. In 1994, he choreographed the production staged by Sam Mendes at the London Palladium. In 2008, a highly inspired version of this production was mounted at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane, with Matthew Bourne once again choreographing it. He then went on to direct the brand-new production by Cameron Mackintosh at the Gielgud Theatre, which has been running since 2024. In the meantime, we’ve crossed paths with Matthew Bourne twice, as he created the delightful choreography for Mary Poppins and directed the wonderful show Stephen Sondheim’s Old Friends.
So we rushed to the Gielgud Theatre, first of all because we love this theatre. But above all, because we’ve been dying to see Oliver! on stage for ages. We don’t know Lionel Bart’s work all that well, but I remembered that he was the first English composer to receive a Tony Award in 1963. And honestly, the first time I heard someone humming a song from Oliver! was in the most joyful musical of 2024: Why Am I So Single? (by Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss), whose characters are two hardcore fans of the show.
Full of excitement, we plunge into two and a half hours of Charles Dickens, expecting not to laugh too much. In fact, we did. And above all, we were blown away. A few words about Lionel Bart’s book, loosely adapted from Oliver Twist. Young Oliver lives in an orphanage and, like all the other children, he is mistreated. He is eventually sold to an undertaker, but manages to escape his clutches and, somewhat by accident, joins a gang of young pickpockets thanks to his new friend, The Artful Dodger. Naive, Oliver is taken in by their leader, Fagin. At the head of a thriving fencing business, Fagin accompanies Oliver’s childhood through a mix of enchantment and violence, both of which are embodied by the sweet Nancy and the terrible Bill—a deeply mismatched couple. From petty thefts to betrayals, and without revealing anything, Oliver ultimately finds a wealthy grandfather who will do everything to save him. But his salvation will come at the cost of the innocent Nancy’s sacrifice.
Put like that, one can really feel the tragedy. While Lionel Bart retains the essence of the original work, he lightens it. First, he strips away some of its substance. Then, he also removes some of its heaviness. Oliver! is certainly not a light musical, but it’s not as grim as a Dickens tale either. In this endeavour, Matthew Bourne and his team have created an exceptional work. From the very opening, the show is breathtaking. The lighting by Paule Constable and Ben Jacobs (Olivier Award-winning), combined with the costumes and sets designed by Lez Brotherston, creates a world that is both dreamlike and horrific. The audience is captivated and held within the drab orphanage, Fagin’s cluttered den, and Bill’s decadent cabaret. Held because we are literally taken by the hand (or rather, by the eyes) and enthralled by the visual design.
We move through 19th century working-class London with curiosity, from damp cobblestones to thick fog. All the elements of the tragic tale are there, those very elements that shape the dark and fantasised city that has lived our imagination since childhood. A London where the kindness of the poorest collides with the hardship of their existence.
This duality is particularly evident in the score: Lionel Bart composed a masterpiece, and often the music softens the harshness of the words. The two best-known numbers are undoubtedly « Food Glorious Food » and « Oliver! », performed at the very beginning of the show and setting its tone. The lyrics convey the brutality of the plot, while the music—if not purely joyful—is at least spirited and lively. Throughout the musical, Lionel Bart blends popular sounds and styles with more theatrical compositions. In the song « Oliver! », one can almost hear a honky-tonk piano tucked away in the back of a run-down tavern. The same is true in the classic « Oom-Pah-Pah, » sung in the cabaret where Bill exploits Nancy. The song’s cheerfulness contrasts sharply with the barely hinted-at debauchery, disguising a place of squalor as a theatrical scene with an almost family-friendly folklore.
At times, the music takes on a poignant tone, leaving us in tears, for example, when Nancy -wonderful Ava Brennan- sings « As Long As He Needs Me. » Today, we are less moved by her romantic feelings than by the young woman’s distressing situation. In the murky maelstrom she inhabits, Nancy embodies the figure or the big-hearted woman, at once vulnerable, fragile, and generous. We feel a deep pity for her, desperately in love, entirely under Bill’s control. All the more so because he is a one-dimensional character: a violent thug, a predatory lover, and evil to the core.
Another song deeply moved us: « Who Will Buy? ». When Oliver is taken in by his protective grandfather, he hears, from the balconies of the opulent house, the young orphans trying to sell their odds and ends to passers-by. The power of the chorus is also a key element of Lionel Bart’s musical writing. The children’s ensemble often comes together to deliver performances that cannot fail to move the audience.
Finally, we obviously loved « Reviewing the Situation. » To Eastern European Jewish folk-inspired melodies, Fagin explains how he could change. And then how, ultimately, he decides to remain as he is, living by his petty larceny. In this number, Simon Lipkin constantly breaks the fourth wall, addressing, teasing, even heckling the audience. He portrays Fagin with immense talent, giving him an unexpected complexity and leaving us in fits of laughter at the end of this remarkable solo. In the first act, Fagin initially appears cold and harsh. After this song, he gradually becomes, especially in contrast with Bill, a supportive figure. A kind of a big brother to all the child pickpockets he exploits, certainly, but whom he also feeds and protects. This culminates in the final scene where he clearly takes The Artful Dodger under his wing, in an almost paternal gesture. Moreover, this young character (played by the excellent Aaron MacGregor) performs one of the most exhilarating songs: in « Consider Yourself, » he tells Oliver, along with Fagin’s gang, that he is now « one of the family, » « our mate. » Once again driven by a lively infectious score, The Artful Dodger reassures him, offers him a home, and in just a few notes, we forget the horrors Oliver has endured. We were bowled over by the sheer brilliance of Lionel Bart, capable of transforming the darkest emotions and situations into radiant and rhythmically vibrant compositions.
Oliver! is a bleak tale about the family we seek and the family we choose. It tells the story of how Oliver escapes the orphanage, how he builds a semblance of a family unit with the pickpocket brotherhood, Fagin and Nancy, and how he finds an unexpected and loving grandfather. Fate or social determinism plays a role in the plot, but it is above all Oliver’s courage that drives the narrative. And his sense of camaraderie as well. No doubt the power of the chorus, mentioned earlier, has something to do with it: Oliver and his companions moved us deeply, made us laugh and cry. It’s easy to understand why this masterpiece has become such a hugely popular classic in the UK, performed in every school.
Lionel Bart’s writing is precise (a little manichean at times, but that’s really nitpicking) and his music is dazzling. Matthew Bourne’s staging and choreography are brilliant. The cast is perfect: the children are truly impressive – we unfortunately didn’t note who played Oliver that day. We have absolutely nothing to criticise about the musical, and even less about this production. So we savoured our pleasure to the very end, in the theater, in the West End, and all the way to the station – since we had to rush to catch the Eurostar. We closed our eyes, headphones on, and relived Oliver, Fagin, and Nancy dancing across the damp cobblestones, in the crimson cabaret, and by London Bridge.
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