OLIVER! 2026
Oliver!
Gielgud Theatre (West End)
Review Complete
“Please Sir, can I have some more?”
14th April 2026
A WHOLE NEW OLIVER! REIMAGINED BY THE GENIUS THAT IS MATTHEW BOURNE!
Last night we were transported back to the grit and grime of Charles Dickins’ Victorian London at the Guilgud Theatre watching Matthew Bourne’s wonderful production of Lionel Bart’s Oliver! And what a night it was!
I am very familiar with this show, having seen the film and the show several times. I was even in a production many years ago. But this version is a whole new experience! The multi height moving set superbly designed by Lez Brotherston, Paule Constable’s fantastic lighting and brilliant new orchestrations with rearranged vocals by Stephen Metcalfe, all conspire to make this a magical theatrical night! And then there was the cast.
There are four Oliver’s listed in the programme and we saw Isaac Hackett. He was very small - the smallest boy on the stage - with a big voice and an endearing character! He owned the stage and was highly impressive. Aaron Macgregor as the Artful Dodger was considerably taller than Oliver, which is quite unusual but worked very well. In fact most of Fagin’s gang were taller than some people may be used to but they were absolutely superb and I loved them! It made it look much more realistic and vocally a lot stronger. Pick a Pocket Or Two was fantastic really got the audience cheering! Oscar Conlon-Morrey and Katy Secombe were delightfully nasty as Mr Bumble and Widow Corney. Conlon-Morrey has a particularly good voice and Boy For Sale was a highlight for me. Ava Brennan was a brilliant Nancy. With a hard edge but a warm heart for Oliver and a huge voice, she was perfect for the part. Aaron Sidwell was a really nasty Bill Sikes! He hardly sang any of his music but that just added to his menace!
But for me the hero of the evening was definitely the magnificent Simon Lipkin as Fagin! An absolute tour de force of a performance! Although he said all of Lionel Bart’s dialogue, the real magic of his character came from the numerous ad libs! They were so slick and funny and they brought a real music hall feel to Fagin that I have never seen before. But what I loved so much was how he could suddenly become the most threatening character on stage in a second! Lipkin was nominated at the 2025 Olivier awards for Best Actor In A Musical which is hardly surprising!
All in all, this was a wonderful night at the theatre from start to finish and my review of this situation? Five superb stars!
Photography: Johan Persson
We are Gifted tickets so that in return we may give an honest review. All comments are those of the reviewer and theirs alone.