‘Please sir, I want some more’ Oliver! – Gielgud Theatre, London. 17.12.24

I am privileged and proud to say that I have seen a lot of productions at the West End, but in the many years I’ve been going since childhood I don’t ever remember making it to see Oliver! So, when they announced that the successful revival from the Chichester Festival Theatre to the Gielgud Theatre in the West End, we were unanimous in our agreement that we go for our Christmas theatre visit.

Even if you’re not a musical fan, you’re likely to be familiar with the story, based on the infamous Charles Dicken’s Oliver Twist. There have been many film and theatre adaptations over the years, so the quotes and songs are well-known.

A quick summary for those who are less familiar with the story:

Oliver is an orphan who escapes the Victorian workhouse he grew up in and is recruited by the charismatic Artful Dodger to a gang of pickpockets, run by a slippery character called Fagin. When Oliver is caught by the police on his first job, he is adopted by the wealthy old man who accused him of stealing. Fagin enlists the help of the terrifying Bill Sykes and his partner Nancy to bring Oliver back, but when Nancy sees that he was best off where he was, she tries to return him, with terrible consequences….

I was only slightly nervous to discover that the first three performances were cancelled due to the need for more time to rehearse and ensure everyone’s safety on stage, meaning the cast’s first performance was the day before our visit. However, it quickly became obvious in the opening scene why this was necessary. As you might expect, a large part of the ensemble cast is made up of children and having them leap around revolving stages or at height requires that extra degree of caution.

What can I say to do justice to this spectacle? When you have Matthew Bourne directing and choregraphing you come to expect great things, but this was truly an all-star cast who made it mesmerising.

Our Oliver for the evening was Cian Eagle-Service, who is incredibly talented for someone so young. His voice has a truly haunting quality, which came out best in his solo performance of ‘Where is Love?’ Already he conducts himself as a consummate professional and can absolutely consider himself part of this very talented family (strap in, I feel a few more of these coming).

Perhaps my favourite character of the night was Fagin, who was expertly portrayed by Simon Lipkin. Providing no end of laughs with his comic genius, and a stellar rendition of ‘You’ve Got to Pick a Pocket or Two’ with some terrific mannerisms, he completely stole the show.

I also really enjoyed Billy Jenkins’ performance as the Artful Dodger. Not only had he really nailed the cheeky chappy accent, but he glided through some great choreography during ‘Consider Yourself’. A natural talent when it comes to dancing.

Then we had Shanay Holmes as Nancy. I could see from her acting credits she’s had a number of strong vocal roles previously, so I was excited to see what she’d bring to this one. Her chance to really shine came in Act Two, where she led a truly rousing ‘Oom-Pah-Pah’, followed by a really moving performance of ‘As Long As He Needs Me’ which showed what an adept songstress she is.

The worse half of Nancy, Bill Sykes, was played by Aaron Sidwell, who captured the violence and unpredictability of his character very well. My only slight criticism was I felt he could’ve been more menacing, but I concede I was a child when I found Oliver Reed terrifying in the 1968 film, so it may just be that I’m less scared/more hardened as an adult.

It would be remiss not to mention the orchestra, conducted by Graham Hurman, who led us through all the classics we know and love seamlessly. The production team have clearly worked incredibly hard to help bring this Victorian masterpiece to life, with fantastic staging and costumes.

All in all, this has to be one of the best nights at the theatre I’ve had in a long while. This production is absolutely brilliant – so much work has gone into every aspect. It was a joyous evening, and great to see such a British great back in the West End. The only thing left to say at the end of it all was ‘Please sir, I WANT SOME MORE!’

Tickets can currently be booked up to September 2025 here. Based on its rave reviews it’s likely to book up fast, so don’t delay! This is not one you want to miss.