Dickens would have been horrified at the idea that his dark and truthful novel of the horrors of life in early nineteenth century London has become an entertaining stage musical, but, treated as pure, unadulterated joyous and uplifting entertainment, this production cannot be beaten.
It tells the story well enough, but in a lighthearted manner, beginning with the hungry orphans in the workhouse “Food Glorious Food”, and Oliver, having the nerve to ask for more, being sold to a funeral director, but the workhouse owner, Oscar Conlon-Morrey (of the gloriously operatic booming voice), is more a slightly comical Mr Bumble than a tyrant. There is a lot of humour in this show, as well as Lionel Bart’s fabulous music which carries the story perfectly and, under the baton of Graham Hurman, has nuances which enhance, or even play with, the emotions on stage.
Having run away from the funeral parlour, Oliver finds himself exhausted and lonely, and young Cian Eagle-Service holds the audience in the palm of his hand as he sings ‘Where is Love?”. What a tremendous role for such a young boy as he carries the story from beginning to end—and what a great performance.
He finds love, of a sort, when he meets a surprisingly fatherly Fagin and his gang of young trainee pickpockets, played expertly by Finley Burrows, Benjamin Dalton, Liam Findlay, Preston Cropp, Aaron Zhao, Lily Hanna and Charlie Hodson-Prior. Billy Jenkins is the perfect Artful Dodger, irreverent, cheeky, confident and a fantastic dancer.
Venues are many and varied, and Lez Brotherston’s set, with the help of the stage’s multiple revolves, mechanics and technology, switches in the blink of an eye from orphanage to funeral parlour to Fagin’s den. The busy street market scene with buildings, balconies, stairways, bridges etc practically stops the show as it bursts upon the stage full of exuberance, shouting, laughter and song.
Costumes too are perfectly ‘of the period’, as is most of the dancing. The choreography, as we have come to expect from Matthew Bourne, is exceptional and seemingly very complicated with the constant motion of the crowds, but every movement, of every individual, in the constantly moving large cast appears to be perfectly in time, in place, all joyously dancing their socks off and never putting a foot, hand or head in the wrong direction.
The dark side of the story is not entirely omitted. The lovely, kind Nancy, beautifully portrayed by Shanay Holmes with a very movingly sung rendition of “As Long as He Needs Me”, proves she’s in love with entirely the wrong man when Bill Sykes turns up and does the deadly deed.
But we’re not allowed to be that serious for too long as Simon Lipkin’s Fagin comes on the scene again. After the previous “You’ve got to Pick a Pocket or Two”, he is now “Reviewing the Situation” and wondering what he ought to do with the rest of his life away from crime. Every suggestion he thinks up has its problems, and he has to begin again—and Lipkin is a master of the timing, pauses, facial expressions and gestures which add to the comedy. Totally hilarious!
This is an absolutely stunning, astounding, uplifting and joyous of shows.
Sheer perfection!