Review by Katie Shaw
Lionel Bart’s Oliver! took centre stage at the Gielgud Theatre on Saturday night. Having only ever watched the 1968 film (although many, many times), I was excited to see how this take on Dickens’ classic novel translated to the stage. The second the Orchestra sounded, and the Prologue began, I felt a rush of excitement and anticipation for this production. Oliver! has it all: family, friendship, love, betrayal, heartbreak; it takes you on a rollercoaster of emotion, filled with goosebumps and laughter and tears and empathy, and I had strapped myself in for the ride.
Our protagonist for the night was played by Raphael Korniets, one of four actors to take on the role of Oliver Twist. While there is no doubt about the talent of Korniets, I found his youth rather a distraction and couldn’t help but think he was too young to be playing the role. This was only exacerbated when standing next to or dancing with Billy Jenkins as the Artful Dodger: two characters who I had always imagined were similar ages, yet looked years apart.
I also found that, despite sitting just a few rows from the stage, the Orchestra often muffled his voice. Having said that, Korniets’ performance of Where is Love? was beautiful, a song that delivers Oliver’s emotional capacity to the audience: the poor, pure natured, orphaned Oliver yearning for a feeling he has never known, a love that has always been absent from his life. The innocence and vulnerability of Oliver that we all know and admire really shone through in this performance.
As expected, Fagin and his crew were brilliant, bringing exceptional amounts of wit and comedic timing to their performance. Simon Lipkin was electric as Fagin: the charisma, energy and humour that he brought to the character was nothing short of extraordinary. Lipkin and Jenkins mastered the idiosyncrasies of Fagin and Dodger, and I was captivated by the ease of their presence on stage. Their dynamic felt special, as though the depth of Lipkin and Jenkin’s friendship transcended that of their characters. It was a joy to witness.
Oscar Conlon-Morrey played Mr Bumble, the grumpy, snooty, greedy workhouse overseer. He really made this character his own, with the over-the-top enunciations and rolling of the tongue making for some laugh out loud moments, and he absolutely nailed Bumble’s booming voice. His stage partnership with Katy Secombe as Widow Corney made for an entertaining and dynamic duo, with an unforgettable rendition of I Shall Scream.
While I appreciate that modern adaptations of classic plays and musicals tend to be sprinkled with their own modern twists, I felt that it was wholly unnecessary to have Fagin’s character making numerous topical references and jokes throughout. While these comments and references were amusing, Oliver! boasts a strong enough storyline on its own, so I felt it did not need these additions to its script. I suppose one could argue that this offered some much needed comic relief throughout what is, at times, a pretty bleak tale, but to me, that takes away from the authenticity of its story.
Oliver Twist is an honest depiction of what was, for many in Victorian London, the harsh reality of how society functioned at the time. Mothers died in childbirth, children were left orphaned, poverty was rife, and men often abused their position of power and authority. The number of jokes throughout seemed to almost glorify the lived experiences of people in Victorian London like Oliver, Fagin and his crew of young thieves, Bill Sikes and Nancy – but to others in the audience, it may have simply provided a comedic distraction.
Aaron Sidwell captured the malicious, chilling and deceptive nature of Bill Sikes brilliantly and brought a tension that rippled through the theatre each time he took to stage; contrary to Shanay Holmes portrayal of Nancy, which was played with conviction, emotion and pride. Her rendition of As Long As He Needs Me was as poignant and heartbreaking as ever, and she gave an honest portrayal of the ill-fated Nancy.
Although there were some gaps in Bourne’s adaptation – one minute Oliver was being chased by Mr Brownlow and facing court trials for robbery, and the next he was living in the Brownlow home with no explanation as to how he got there – Oliver! can never fail in my eyes. This proved an entertaining and emotional adaptation of Dickens’ classic tale with a strong cast, accompanied by a stunningly talented Orchestra.
Rating: ★★★☆☆ (Good)
