OXOPS’s production of ‘Oliver!’–a vibrant, witty take.

Opening night, one of apprehension, nerves, excitement, and most of all anticipation.

As always, an opening night of any theatrical event is not without a few hiccups and bumps in the road – this is what makes an opening night, essentially, the first pancake. However, as many plays will have these hiccups and possibly quite a few, the little that the New Theatre’s production of ‘Oliver!’ did have, were forgivable and not hugely impactful to the performance. In fact, it did not alter the audiences’ applause and enthusiasm in any way.

The beginning. Buzzes of chatter filled the auditorium, bouncing from wall to wall, as the usual ditherings of people were preparing for the performance about to come.

A bell.

And we’re off. The curtains open, lighting set, orchestra at the ready and the audience silent. A spotlight. The opening scene, I felt, showed the impact of the excruciating poverty in London in the mid – 19th century. The pregnant woman crossing the stage was a poignant beginning to the unfolding story shown before us.

If you’re not familiar, the tale of ‘Oliver Twist’ begins with main character, Oliver in a workhouse with other starved and isolated children, like himself. Oliver sails through an adventure of storms, wind and occasional sunny days, which is what makes the story a true adventure.

OXOPS’s production of Lionel Bart’s ‘Oliver!’, opened on the 30th of January 2024, in the New Theatre, Oxford. This production was filled with impressive orchestra and dance choreography, great vocals and above all vibrance.

Some songs performed that I thought were very well executed were ‘I Shall Scream’, ‘You’ve Got to Pick a Pocket or Two’, ‘Who Will Buy’ and ‘As Long as He Needs Me’.

With a cast of a mix of children and adult ensemble’s varying from ages as young as 9 years old to adulthood, the dynamic shown on stage worked well for the plot and gave a respectable illusion of the story of ‘Oliver Twist’ and the significance the ‘little nippers’ have.

I felt this dynamic was especially notable, with character Fagin and his gang of thieves. Fagin was best known to have been played by Ron Moody in 1968. His portrayal of the mischievous, calculating, raw character was described as ‘an effervescent sparkle’, to which I thought actor Steve Mellin very much upheld. His interactions with the audience, gait and overall persona was spot on to what you’d expect the brilliant Fagin to be.

Another character I think is important to note is Nipper, played by Nicholas Siddle. His consistent appearance throughout the play was chucklesome, clever and perfectly sweet. The idea of having a Nipper in ‘Oliver Twist’ very much enhances just how family friendly and warm hearted the story is. When shown on opening night, it was undeniable that audience had all gained a mutual feeling of admiration and benevolence towards Nipper from the first to last moment he appeared.

‘Oliver Twist’ is a tale of the candid, frank realities of poverty and child abuse in the mid- 19th century. What’s clever about the novel is how Charles Dickens manages to use poverty to teach a lesson whilst also putting a spin on the perspective of the child – Oliver - and the adventures, fun and love that he can experience, despite how miserable his life is/ once was.

The classic novel includes topics of; fragility of life on the streets, the extremities of poorer/ working class lifestyles, domestic violence, grief and murder. However, it also includes the lighter, slightly cheekier topics, of pick pocketing, the sense of community one can have, family, love and laughter.

‘Oliver!’, was a truly great representation of the sanctity of community and family. The combination of children and adults in the show, led the audience to be filled to the brim with very proud relatives, really showing how theatre brings loved ones together, making the performance shown in front of you, just that bit more special.

The New Theatre’s building dates back roughly 200 years and has had a theatre since 1836. After having experienced some obstacles, being damaged by a fire in 1892 and been refurbished in 2003, it is now a venue of class and welcome, obtaining multiple bars and a seating capacity of 1,785.

The use of colour and attention to details within the architecture of the auditorium, made one feel a sense of history of theatre and drama itself.

To mention all the incredible dance choreography would need to have a whole other article written to fully encapsulate and describe the subtle, exquisite details. What I will mention, is how much I enjoyed the selections of different dances used usually, all in just one song which, as one can imagine is very hard to do. The chimney sweeps who performed in the first half, showed how, to make a dance that synchronised is inspiring and especially fun to watch. The music, along with this, was something special – especially the use of piano and violin solos.

Elements of physical theatre, with the use of handkerchiefs, when performed in ‘You’ve Got to Pick a Pocket or Two’, was enjoyable to watch, vibrant and very clever.

Referencing to the ‘first pancake’ elements of an opening night, the main issue was the technicalities with the speakers and microphones. This was most prominent when glitching over the actors’ lines in the scene with Mr Brownlow and Dr Grimwig in the second half. However, the actors in all scenes this occurred, ignored it impressively and did not let it distract them from their main target – to execute their characters and scenes in the best way they possibly could. Although slightly distracting, as I said before, it was a forgivable issue and understandable for an opening night.

As an overall review, OXOPS’s production of ‘Oliver!’, was a vibrant, witty and enjoyable play to have experienced. It led you through the harsher, crueller realities of life whilst making you laugh at the imperfections of each character and the intelligence of the puns themselves. An all round, fun, family orientated production, with its minor imperfections.

A great first pancake.