Date of Visit – January 2025
Back in November, the cast of ‘OLIVER!‘ appeared on the annual Royal Variety Performance, and I was instantly hooked and impressed by the acting and vocal ability of the cast, as well as the beautiful set and costume design. I instantly knew I had to book a ticket to London.
SYNOPSIS:
‘OLIVER!‘ is based on the classic 1838 Charles Dickens novel ‘Oliver Twist’ and has had many stage adaptions since its 1960 west end debut at the Wimbledon Theatre before moving on to the formally known New Theatre which is now the Noel Coward.
The musical ‘OLIVER!‘ follows the story of Oliver Twist, an orphan boy in victorian England who is forced to leave the workhouse and subsequently runs away to London, where he meets the Artful Dodger and becomes involved with a group of pickpockets lead by Fagin. The Production features memorable songs such as ‘food glorious food’ and ‘consider yourself.’
THEATRE EXPERIENCE:
The west end revival of ‘OLIVER!‘ directed by Cameron Mackintosh, takes place at the beautiful Gielgud Theatre close to Picadilly Circus and the world famous London Chinatown. Its central location makes it easy to access via the tube from multiple national rail stations across London.
The theatre itself has three bars located in the foyer, back of stalls, and the dress circle. As I arrived at this theatre an hour early I treated myself to a fruit cider and hangout in the bar area, there is a limited amount of seating so if your thinking of relaxing in this beautiful bar before the show make sure you’re at the theatre at least 40 minutes before to avoid the crowds.
The grand total for a cider and a programme was £10.50 which may seem a little on the expensive side but with some theatres charging £10 for a programme alone, I thought it was a pretty reasonable price for a west end theatre.
As always, I had to treat myself to a tub of mint choc chip ice cream during the interval, which set me back £3.50.
During my time at the theatre, there was only one incident that did negativity impact the experience, with a drunken man being admitted into the auditorium around fifteen minutes into the performance and later being warned for his behaviour before subsequently being kicked out. This was even more infuriating as I had to stand up multiple times to allow staff members to walk down the aisle to speak to the drunken man. I felt this situation could have been avoided if he hadn’t been allowed into the auditorium in the first place, seeing as he was quite clearly drunk.
None the less customer service was superb, staff friendly, and welcoming.
I was also slightly gutted to find out that ‘OLIVER!‘ had its official opening night the day after I saw this performance, meaning if I had booked for a day later, I would have got a free programme and rubbed shoulders with celebrities. Oh, well, it is what it is, and I still had an amazing experience.
SHOW REVIEW:
If I had to sum this production up in one word, it would be ‘Stunning’. The set design, costuming, acting, and singing were beautiful. The talent these actors, and especially the kids had, was breathtaking.
The stage is a revolving design, which means they can quickly move between scenes, set pieces and props as they revolve on stage, this is a particularly good use of space considering this isn’t exactly one of the largest west end theatres. As well as this, there were also ‘trap doors’ or slots hidden into the stage floor where actors can enter and leave stage from.
Another interesting element regarding stage design that I have never seen before, was that the stage had actually been extended on both sides and the railing of the lower boxes had been removed to allow actors to enter and leave the stage, basically via the audience. I loved this as it felt like we were involved within the fabric of the show.
So, regarding the acting and singing. Simon Lipkin ‘Fagin’ is, in my opinion, one of the stand-out performers in this production. His comedic timing and audience interaction were absolutely amazing, and he had the whole audience laughing at many moments within the show. However, Lipkin didn’t just show great comedic timing but also raw emotion at times. You felt yourself feeling sorry for Fagin even though he uses vulnerable orphan children as pickpockets for his own gain. It’s a proper contrast of moral emotions.
Shannay Holmes was also equally impressive as Nancy. Holmes’ performance within the song ‘As Long As He Needs Me’ was powerful. The level of emotion and vulnerability from the character who is suffering domestic abuse from her partner Bill Sikes brought tears to my eyes.
Aaron Sidwell ‘Bill Sikes’ who I previously knew from playing the character of Steven Beale on BBC’s Eastenders, was impeccable in his portrayal of the nasty and violent Bill Sikes, and had the audience booing him during the bows, just like in a pantomime.
Special mentions go to Billy Jenkins, who was also brilliant in the role of Dodger as well as Jack Philpotts in the leading role of Oliver. Philpotts’ performance of ‘where is love’ was beautiful and tugged at the heart strings.
The only improvement I’d make to this production would be to allow the actor portraying Oliver to have the final bow instead of Fagin. After all, the show is titled ‘OLIVER!‘ and not ‘FAGIN!’
CONCLUSION & SUMMARY:
If you’re thinking about going to see this production, I would 100% recommend booking a trip into the capital. Ticket prices are reasonable here too, with the cheapest seats being sold for £20 and with the theatre not being particularly large, I am sure you’ll have a great view no matter where you’re sat.
Overall, I rate this performance of ‘OLIVER!‘ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ out of 5, and will definitely be returning in the not so distant future.
Performances of Cameron Mackinstosh’s ‘OLIVER!‘ is currently showing at the Gielgud until March 2026.
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