Much like Oliver himself; we wanted more, and Cameron Mackintosh has delivered. Fifteen years after its last London revival, the beloved musical, Oliver!, will be returning to the West End later this year. And we’re considering ourselves pretty darn happy about it.
The brand new production will be produced by Cameron Mackintosh, directed and choreographed by Matthew Bourne, and co-directed by Jean-Pierre van der Spuy. The revival will open at the Gielgud Theatre on Shaftesbury Avenue on December 14, after completing a run at the Chichester Festival Theatre this summer.
Adapted from the legendary Charles Dickens novel; the musical follows the story of Oliver Twist, an orphan who escapes a Victorian workhouse and takes refuge with gang leader, Fagin, and his team of pickpockets. The sensational score includes the likes of ‘Food Glorious Food‘, ‘Consider Yourself‘, ‘Oom Pah Pah‘, and many more.
Initial casting has been announced with Simon Lipkin (Elf) as Fagin, Shanay Holmes (Miss Saigon) as Nancy, Aaron Sidwell (The Lord of the Rings) as Bill Sikes, Billy Jenkins (Dodger) as the Artful Dodger, and Philip Franks (Art) as Mr Brownlow. Further casting is yet to be announced.
The creative team also includes design by Lez Brotherston, lighting design is by Paule Constable and Ben Jacobs, sound design by Adam Fisher, video design by George Reeve, original orchestrations by William David Brohn, and orchestra adaptation by Stephen Metcalfe.
Cameron Mackintosh commented: “Matthew Bourne and I, alongside Sam Mendes, first reinvented Lionel Bart’s masterpiece in 1994 with a huge production at the London Palladium which we restaged in an even grander way in 2009 at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane. Now 15 years later, having staged the largest production of Oliver! ever, we want to return to the scale of the brilliant original with a more intimate production, thrillingly designed by Lez Brotherston, which in a sweepingly imaginative way conjures up Dickensian London.”
Priority booking opens on April 26 and general sale starts on April 29.
Find out more, sign up for priority bookings, and book your tickets here.