Gielgud Theatre, til 29 March 2026 

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Sometimes a classic’s just a classic.

In a city where there are so many fantastic new productions to see, I’m rarely tempted to spend my money on something I’ve seen before. In fact, I think there are only two shows to which I’ve gone back for seconds: my personal favourite, Les Miserables (which I’ve seen in both Melbourne and London), and now Lionel Bart’s beloved Oliver! The first time I saw it (if memory serves) was when I was four years old with my aunt Helen. I was particularly enamoured with the 1968 film adaptation by Carol Reed, and was excited to see it live (in what very well might have been my first ever theatre visit!). All I can really remember was another child bursting out crying at the lightning strikes in the opening scene, and feeling very proud of myself that I wasn’t such a scaredy cat. (There’s also a family story about Helen having to chase me down a tram when I tried to run away from her, but I can’t verify if that happened on the same day.)

Safe to say, some musicals stand the test of time and bear up to repeat viewing, and Oliver! falls into this category. It’s a winning combination of truly fantastic music and a compelling dramatic story, brought to life exceedingly well in this terrific new adaptation at the Gielgud Theatre. 

Though it hardly seems necessary to outline the plot of Dickens’ classic tale, for the uninitiated: foundling Oliver has lived his entire lonely existence in a punishing Victorian workhouse. When his humble request for more gruel has him sold for £3, he briefly belongs to the local undertaker before running away and falling in with a gang of local urchins. With the only adults in sight the manipulative Fagin, the violent thug Bill Sikes and the kind but beaten-down Nancy, Oliver is dragged into the seedy criminal underside of impoverished London.

Oliver! has some interesting parallels with Les Mis: both are adapted from hefty 19th century tomes that explore the wretchedness of poverty and human suffering. Given I was a fan as a small child, I was surprised to be reminded just how dark Oliver! is: the show starts with the systemic abuse of children in the workhouses, and ends with Nancy being throttled to death by her own husband. With that in mind, Dickens’ story might seem a strange choice for musical adaptation, a genre more commonly associated with kitsch and camp. And yet, is there anything that more powerfully evokes feeling than music? The already captivating story of Oliver! is only enhanced by moving numbers such as Where Is Love or As Long as He Needs Me.

Of course it’s not all doom and gloom, and the brilliance of Bart’s book is equally clear in the energetic ensemble numbers. Oom-Pah-Pah, Food, Glorious Food and Consider Yourself are all rousing crowd-pleasers, and it’s in these scenes that adapters Cameron Mackintosh and Matthew Bourne are able to bring their own theatrical expertise to the table. Bourne is obviously most well-known as a choreographer and the dancing is exemplary – simply a highly entertaining way to make the most of the wonderful music. 

Delivering these dance numbers is a tremendous cast. My performance featured Jack Philpott as Oliver, suitably angelic with his diminutive stature and sweet voice. Despite the name though, Oliver isn’t really the star of the show – it’s a true ensemble piece. Shanay Holmes as Nancy brought down the house with her renditions of Oom-Pah-Pah, It’s a Fine Life, and of course, As Long as He Needs Me. Other standouts are the young Billy Jenkins, pulling off an enormously charismatic and entertaining turn as the Artful Dodger, and Simon Lipkins as Fagin, whose physical comedy during Reviewing the Situation was so funny he had to stop for applause. 

I did have some quibbles here and there; for example there are a few moments when the show drags a bit (personally I think you could entirely ditch the plodding That’s Your Funeral). Plus I was surprised to see there are still a few distinctly Jewish overtones to the portrayal of Fagin, particularly in the music choices, though I suppose there’s not much to be done about that without actually rewriting the song – and maybe I’m being altogether too woke (and not the right person to make the criticism!). (I was interested to find, in doing a little bit of research into the controversy around Fagin’s Jewish portrayal, that the outcry began as soon as the book was first published. And in fair play to old Charlie, he apparently rewrote the story to eliminate the Jewish references!)

Perhaps I’m just nitpicking. In the case of this new adaptation of Oliver!, I think it may be a simple case of saying a classic’s a classic. Good music, good dancing, a few laughs, a few teary moments – what more could you want?

Visit the Delfont Mackintosh website for tickets to Oliver!