Oliver!

Oliver! photos

Oliver! description

Are you ready for a classic musical loved by millions? A fresh new revival of Oliver! transfers to theatreland for December, Lionel Bart's wonderful adaptation of the beloved Charles Dickens’s novel. Perfect for the festive season, it’s great family fun!

Meet the cast and creative team

You’re going to love the cast. Simon Lipkin (Guys and Dolls, Avenue Q) 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 and Philip Franks (The Rocky Horror Show, Witness for the Prosecution) as Mr Brownlow.

The musical is directed and choreographed by Matthew Bourne and co-directed by Jean-Pierre Van Der Spuy. With sets designed by Lez Brotherston to recreate London’s Victorian past vividly, the musical supervisor and conductor is Graham Hurman. The lighting designers Paule Constable and Ben Jacobs, the sound designer Adam Fisher, video designer George Reeve, original orchestrator William David Brohn, and orchestral adaptor Stephen Metcalfe complete the team.

A story that never grows old, reimagined

Oliver! weaves the story of an orphaned boy who flees a brutal London workhouse, finding himself living with new friends in the capital’s seedy underworld. You’ll meet the entrepreneurial Fagin, kind hearted Nancy, and of course the Artful Dodger. Although the plot is almost two centuries old, it resonates as just as powerfully today.

Lionel Bart’s award-winning adaptation of Dickens’ novel has been delighting audiences since 1960. It premiered at the Wimbledon Theatre before transferring to the West End for a record breaking long run. With major London revivals from 1977 to 1980, 1994 to 1998, 2008 to 2011 and on UK tour between 2011 and 2013, we predict another sell-out from this well-loved story that never goes out of date.

The same beautiful songs so many of us know and love complement the action, including Food Glorious Food, Consider Yourself, You’ve Got to Pick-a-Pocket or Two, and As Long As He Needs Me.

Playing at Gielgud Theatre (venue info)