★★★★
It’s hard to say what the ingredients of a good musical are. Many attributes might spring to mind: joyful dance numbers, frothy sub-plots, or wild romance. Comparatively, Oliver!’s offering of child poverty, domestic violence, and petty crime doesn’t seem like the makings of a good night out.
And yet, Cameron Mackintosh’s new production tries hard to make this potentially depressing show a light and even comedic experience. As we follow orphan Oliver on his journey from a cruel workhouse to joining a group of child pickpockets in London’s criminal underworld, there are more laughs than tears—in the first act, anyway.
The driving force behind this is undoubtedly Simon Lipkin’s scene-stealing performance as Fagin, the master of Oliver’s brotherhood of thieves. Lipkin plays the role primarily for laughs, regularly breaking the fourth wall, engaging in slapstick comedy, and even doing a few magic tricks. This lends an occasionally pantomime–like feel to the show which may divide audiences, as do some smaller production choices. The undertakers Oliver briefly works for pre-Fagin wouldn’t be out of place in the Addams Family, whilst workhouse matron Widow Corney (Katy Secombe) certainly fulfils the promise of her song ‘I Shall Scream’. When differentiating between heroes and villains, subtlety often disappears faster than the local gentlemen’s handkerchiefs.
That said, the Chichester audience went wild for Lipkin, giving him no less than three separate rounds of applause for his solo ‘Reviewing the Situation’. What’s more, he skilfully avoids falling into parody by making his Fagin gentle, surprisingly conscientious, and irresistibly charismatic. Most spectators will surely leave the theatre wishing they too could join his gang.
Yet whilst the musical might prioritise its comedy, that doesn’t mean it can’t achieve impactful moments of tragedy. Shanay Holmes gives an impressive performance as villainous thug Bill Sikes’s vulnerable but spirited girlfriend Nancy, who refuses to abandon her partner despite his abuse. Holmes get many of the best solos and carries off jauntier songs like ‘It’s A Fine Life’ just as well as the heart-wrenching ‘As Long as He Needs Me’. Nancy’s increasing struggle to balance her loyalty to Bill (Aaron Sidwell) with her desire to help Oliver gives the production much of its emotional heft and several of its most affecting moments.
But despite Lipkin and Holmes often emerging as the stars of the show, the rest of the cast are just as strong. Raphael Korniets brings a winning mix of wide-eyed innocence and unrelenting resilience to the titular role (shared between three actors) and has stage presence beyond his years. Billy Jenkins’s Artful Dodger has bags of charm and leads huge ensemble routines with boundless energy. Even cast members with smaller roles, such as Isabelle Methven as Nancy’s young ally Bet, shine individually during group performances and add extra poignancy when things fall apart.
Moreover, and perhaps most importantly for a musical, the songs never fail. Oliver! boasts an impressive quantity of well-known numbers, from ‘Food, Glorious Food’ and ‘Consider Yourself’ to ‘I’d Do Anything’ and ‘Oom-Pah-Pah’. The cast and orchestra are pitch perfect, and solos and ensemble pieces prove equally enjoyable. It is surely a flaw of the musical’s original structure and not this production that the second act is primarily made up of reprises of the first half’s songs. Nevertheless, most are so good you don’t mind hearing them twice.
Overall, Oliver! delivers exactly what it promises: a classic story accompanied by irresistible tunes which can make you want to dance, laugh, or cry. By the end of the evening, you really feel you would do anything for Oliver, Nancy, Fagin, and all the gang.
Oliver! is at Chichester Festival Theatre until 7 September, then will be at the Gielgud Theatre from 14 December.
Words by Eleanor Harvey
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