Oliver! - Chichester Festival Theatre / Gielgud

I feel your pain. I've had to leave a late running show before the end a couple of times in similar circumstances.


I assume you mean impossible to see ALL the show and still catch the the 22.41 service ? Allowing for a 20 minute delay and a 15 minute walk to the station you would have seen most of it.

That's annoying as when done right it is one of the joys of the theatre. I feel like the transfer wasn't known when I booked and chose my seats? Shame if it has been designed for London.

At the Palladium, during “reviewing the situation” Barry Humphries, as Fagin, produced a pair of diamanté spectacles from his treasure chest, and declared them to be his Aunt Edna’s. It got a good laugh, but somewhat interrupted the show, however briefly .

In the previous production Dodger gets arrested as they leave the den and it ends with Fagin walking off on his own. Have they added the Reviewing the Situation duet reprise at the end from the movie?

It was really rather good. Very impressed with the kids (usually anathema to me) and cast overall although thought Bill Sikes was poor. I think it actually benefits from NOT having star casting as Fagin and Mr Lipkin delivers well with his faux ballet moves and Oscar C-M is a fine Bumble. Shanay Holmes delivers the high belt pretty effortlessly (although is no Georgia Brown). It's clearly been directed for the Gielgud and some audience members might be disappointed with Chichester's sightlines. Can't beat a bit of Dickensian misery with cock-er-ny knees up can you? All creatives around on Tuesday.

Not all of the seats are that cheap. With front row for £15 you have to take what you get I think but further back are higher prices. I haven't seen the show yet but can see there are seats more or less level with mine but further back for £41.

I'm going on Monday.
Having never seen any previous productions, I'm looking forward to my first viewing.

I've booked some of the first seats on row N. Hopefully view is ok from there? I presume the more restricted view is purely at the far sides?

I should start by saying I don’t Oliver. I never got to see the Palladium production, I never knowingly watched the film growing up, I’ve never even read the novel. As is the case for most though, Lionel Bart’s score - or at least its most prominent numbers - is weaved into my consciousness.

There are positives and negatives to this. On the plus side, I went into this hotly-anticipated (and already West End transferred) revival safe in the knowledge there is a blatantly well-crafted score in place. However, having heard these songs so often over the years, their impact was somewhat lessened.

First thing’s first, it’s a solid production. I mean that it is the kind of fare you would expect from a show like Oliver. Lots of marching, ash-smudged faces and caricatured cockney accents. The set makes good use of the space but this is clearly directed for its upcoming transfer and makes little use of Chichester’s thrust stage. In fact, I would strongly advise not sitting in the side stalls as a lot is missed unfortunately (this is not advised during ticket sales).

The set uses a revolve but it is positioned quite far out into the stage. While it does add to the production, it wastes the depth of Chichester’s full space. The cast is overall impressive. Katy Secombe and Oscar Conlon-Morrey bounce off each other (in some moments, quite literally) as Bumble and his lady friend.

Shanay Holmes is captivating as Nancy, with her ‘As Long As He Needs Me’ delivering the show’s knockout blow. Aaron Sidwell is menacing as Bill Sikes, while Billy Jenkins makes for a playful Dodger. But the standout performance is clearly Simon Lipkin as Fagin. He toes the line expertly between pathos and slapstick and really is a joy to watch in the role.

I saw Raphael Korniets on as Oliver Twist. He was unassuming but gave a strong performance. I do wish I’d seen Cian Eagle-Service though, who have such an impressive turn as Gustave in last year’s Love Never Does concert.

But, in truth, Oliver doesn’t quite do it for me. It never gives me a reason to care about Nancy (what’s the back story with Bill? Why does she love him so deeply?) or even Oliver himself. It’s a messy patchwork of a story, constantly shifting in tone and location. As impressive as ensemble numbers like ‘Food, Glorious Food’ and ‘Oom-Pah-Pah’ are, the score somehow always seems to lack any real substance in relation to the story. The ending also feels rushed and flat.

But based on the cast’s performance, the set design (notwithstanding the neglect of half the seats in the auditorium) and the spectacle this show clearly is able to capture, I’d give it 3.5 stars. Yet it is Lipkin’s memorable performance that has me rounding up, rather than down, in this case - despite my reservations for the overall piece.

Perhaps I’m being a little generous here but; four stars.

It's hard to describe what Oliver is to me; it feels like music is first and foremost when carrying the show's emotional core while the book is a complete wash and simply serves to connect songs together.

It's a score of what feels like songs inspired by the book Oliver Twist rather than adapting Oliver Twist.

Looking forward to seeing this in London mainly for Simon Lipkin. I've loved him in everything he has been in, such a talented guy and one of our best MT comedy performers. He can also do scary well as in Assassins some years ago. He was in a little known musical at The Other Palce called Miss Atomic Bomb and was hilarious.
Last time I saw Oliver in London Fagin was played by Omid Djalili, the least said about that performance the better.

How on earth can someone out-ham Mr Bumble?!
Mr Bumble is the role that literally requires the whole ham!

Approximately what time is the interval currently? Is it around 8:45?