Oliver - London

JohnK

So then, whos seen Oliver in London? I went to it last Monday and I have to say I liked it. Rowan Atkinson was back after his recent (injury?) break and was quite good in the role although there were a few Mr Bean-isms in there. They were brief so didnt really stand out but at the same time for the few moments they're there it does make you think you're seeing Mr Bean as Fagin rather than just watching Fagin. On the whole though he was good and I'd watch him again however at the same time I would like to see the alternate simply so theres no Mr Bean in there.

Given all the publicity from the I'd Do Anything series I have to admit I expected a lot more from Jody as Nancy but frankly I found her to be very "meh" and entirely forgettable. Even when she was the centre of the scene she never really drew you in and always had the feel of a very unimportant background character.

I do want to mention the set too, it was very well done and with the depth of the stage it really added another dimension to the whole thing. I think I read somewhere that the stage is about 80 feet deep and it looks fantastic when used as the backdrop to the action and even better when filled with the cast. Fagins lair is brilliant too and the entire thing moves so smoothly it just really flows with the action so you hardly notice things are moving.

My only real criticism of the production is the lack of the courthouse scene. Its absence was quite glaring and leaves you wondering how Oliver went from being arrested to next seeing him in some rich guys house. Sure its fine for those of us who know the story but if you went in there without that knowledge it could leave you quite confused. Hell, even knowing the story you're left wondering what the hells going on.

ChickenScratch

The Courtroom Scene wasn't in the original musical, they just stuck it into the film to clear that little misunderstanding up (cutting out some of the best scenes in the process, may I add.)

It should have been pretty clear that they surmised that he was the wrong boy and brought him home... Maybe you're right though, we know the story already so it's easy to understand.

My stage school did Oliver last year and I would give anything to go see it. What were the Sowerberrys and Widow Corney like by the way?

JohnK

ChickenScratch wrote: »

My stage school did Oliver last year and I would give anything to go see it. What were the Sowerberrys and Widow Corney like by the way?

They were good – Widow Corney and Mr Bumble were played quite comically whereas the Sowerberrys were very dour. Not really much else you could say about them to be honest.

marie_85

I'm going to see it in a couple of weeks.

What did you think of Bill Sikes? I'm a huge fan of Burn Gorman but I've heard mixed reviews about his performance.

JohnK

Assuming he was the guy I saw then yeah I thought he was good; I didnt notice anything I didnt like about the performance anyway.