★★★½

“Lipkin’s Olivier nominated Fagin steals the show with wit, warmth and humanity”

Cameron Mackintosh’s West End revival of Lionel Bart’s Tony and Oscar winning ‘Oliver!’ enters its second year, brimming with crowd pleasing charm. Though the emotional development could be sharper, the stunning score and cast will have you reviewing the situation.

Unlucky orphan Oliver is ousted from the workhouse after unwittingly sparking revolt. Forced to flee to London, he falls in with Fagin’s child gang, the violent Bill Sikes and his abused partner Nancy. Horrified by his new “trade”, Oliver ends up in the dock – until unexpected kindness changes everything.

Dickens’ ‘Oliver Twist’ is a pointed critique of hypocritical Victorian ‘welfare’, which Bart’s classic book smooths out and Mackintosh’s revisions soften further. Fagin’s much more sympathetic take smartly dodges harmful stereotypes, though the chummy fourth wall humour leaves his arc feeling a touch undercooked. Though Dickens’ characters are broad by design, it’s a shame this revival doesn’t dig into the grit and nuance a bit more. Act 2 also loses focus, with back to back songs and a busy climax leaving the ending underpowered. Still, the script strikes a confident balance between humour and darkness.

Bart’s Tony winning score and William David Brohn’s orchestrations get a fresh lift from Stephen Metcalfe, with music supervision by Graham Hurman. This classic score sparkles, from rousing chorus numbers and snappy comedy songs to heart-rending solos. It deftly foreshadows key moments and gives each character a unique musical identity. Though the reprise of ‘As Long As He Needs Me’ feels more echo than progression, overall the orchestrations are spot on – the banjo-led ‘I’d Do Anything’ is particularly charming.

Dance icon Matthew Bourne’s direction, with co director Jean Pierre van der Spuy, delivers striking visuals with beautiful video, slick turntable transitions and a shifting set that creates expansive and claustrophobic moments. The emotional arcs don’t always land, though, feeling a little thin and needing more tension in places. Some beats feel rushed, like Oliver’s reunion with Brownlow, and both act finales could hit harder, especially Act 2 where Fagin’s misfortune gets buried in the bustle. That said, Bourne’s strength as a choreographer really shines through. Each scene is expertly judged, some bursting with energy and others striking for their stillness. The big chorus numbers are sharp and modern, contrasting beautifully with the flowing grace of ‘Who Will Buy?’.

Lez Brotherston’s design is deliciously moody, perfectly capturing Victorian London’s smog-choked streets. Paule Constable and Ben Jacobs’ lighting conjures bleak beauty, occasionally shot through with bursts of warmth or colour. Adam Fisher’s sound, with associate Ollie Durrant, is finely balanced, cleverly summoning Bill Sikes’ dog. George Reeve’s projections set the tone with shockingly blood red titles and ghostly hints of St Paul’s in the haze.

Simon Lipkin’s Olivier nominated Fagin steals the show with wit, warmth and humanity. Ava Brennan’s Nancy is magnetic, mastering outward poise and inner conflict, while Aaron Sidwell’s Bill Sikes brings a chilling, naturalistic menace. Tonight’s Oliver, Isaac Hackett, pairs wide eyed innocence with beautifully pure vocals. Aaron MacGregor’s Artful Dodger deftly combines street smart swagger with just enough vulnerability to remind us he’s still just a kid.

This may not be the boldest or most emotionally charged take, but Mackintosh’s revival of ‘Oliver!’ still delivers plenty of entertainment. Catch this superb cast while you can.

CELEBRATING LIONEL BART at JW3

★★★

“the star of the evening is Michaela Stern who beautifully concludes the show”

“There are many lyrics which wouldn’t get past the sensitivity reader these days” quips Nigel Planer before launching into a tongue-in-cheek rendition of Lionel Bart’s ‘Living Doll’. He singles out the line “Gonna lock her up in a trunk…”. When Cliff Richard sang it back in 1959 nobody would have batted an eyelid. When Planer revisited the song with his fellow ‘Young Ones’ for Comic Relief in 1986, he turned the dodginess into plain silliness, ad libbing with “I feel sorry for the elephant”, which became a bit of a catchphrase.

There was more than one elephant in the room at “Celebrating Lionel Bart” – a musical tribute to the great songwriter. Director Adam Lenson, one of many talking heads projected onto the back wall, drew attention to the accusations of antisemitism that Charles Dickens faced after publishing ‘Oliver Twist’ on which Bart based the musical drama ‘Oliver!’. But controversy aside, the evening settled into a light-hearted, nostalgic and gentle homage to the man Andrew Lloyd Webber once described as ‘the father of the modern British musical’.

A handful of songs were interspersed with video projections displaying a few famous faces – Tommy Steele, Cliff Richard, Anita Harris among them. Mildly informative, they were little more than a garnish; the focus being on the onstage performers. Jos Slovick is first up with the aptly titled ‘A Handful of Songs’, giving a wistful touch to the number with the purity of his voice. Brady Isaacs Pearce delves into ‘What is Love?’ from ‘Oliver!’ with an airy beauty and vulnerability, while Debbie Chazen tackles ‘So Tell Me’ (a lesser-known number from Bart’s ‘Blitz!’) with more character than virtuosity. Nigel Planer has fun with ‘Reviewing the Situation’, but the star of the evening is Michaela Stern who beautifully concludes the show with ‘As Long as He Needs Me’. Stern also gives us another highlight with Bart’s unproduced ‘Nobody in Particular’.

We have a well-balanced cross section of Bart’s repertoire, including his 60s pop hits and his Bond theme, ‘From Russia with Love’. During the latter, Musical Director Theo Jamieson truly shines. The grand piano is the sole accompaniment and Jamieson draws out the different character of each number with an understated flair and intuition. The shades and nuances are matched by the singers’ delivery, but unfortunately are let down with a somewhat flat sound through the in-house sound system. We are never too sure if this lack of sparkle is a reflection, or a cause, of the low energy that pervades the performances.

There are moments of beauty, but the atmosphere is thin, and the songs have little room to breathe fully. A rather damp encore invites the audience to sing along to ‘Fings Ain’t Wot They Used T’Be’. We get a hint of the cheeky chappie that Lionel Bart epitomised. Yet we never get beneath the skin. The show is a polite recital rather than a celebration. Bart was a complicated character. The darling of the sixties who later withdrew from the limelight; bankrupt, diabetic and alcoholic. He never really recovered from ‘Oliver’s!’ success, even though he still managed to stir hearts when he spoke to audiences directly through song. This evening’s showcase of his work doesn’t quite speak to us in the way he might have wanted. Yet it is a faithful rendition and we do get a sense – if not the true scent – of Lionel Bart’s impact on the British musical theatre scene.

Tag Archives: Lionel Bart

OLIVER!

★★★½

Gielgud Theatre

OLIVER!

Gielgud Theatre

★★★½

“Lipkin’s Olivier nominated Fagin steals the show with wit, warmth and humanity”

OLIVER!

Gielgud Theatre

Reviewed at Gala Evening on 14th April 2026

by Hannah Bothelton

Photography by Johan Persson

OLIVER!

OLIVER!

OLIVER!

CELEBRATING LIONEL BART

★★★

JW3

CELEBRATING LIONEL BART at JW3

★★★

“the star of the evening is Michaela Stern who beautifully concludes the show”