Cameron Mackintosh and Chichester Festival Theatre will co-produce a new production of Lionel Bart’s Tony-nominated musical Oliver!, which will play the Festival prior to the West End's Gielgud Theatre.
Reconceived by Mackintosh with director and choreographer Matthew Bourne, the production will be seen at the Chichester venue July 8–September 7 before arriving at London's Gielgud December 14.
The cast will be led by Simon Lipkin (Guys and Dolls) as Fagin, Shanay Holmes (Miss Saigon) as Nancy, Aaron Sidwell (Henry VI) as Bill Sikes, Billy Jenkins (Les Misérables) as the Artful Dodger, and Philip Franks (The Rocky Horror Show) as Mr. Brownlow. Additional casting will be announced.
Mackintosh said in a statement, “Oliver! has been part of my life as actor, stage manager, and producer since I first saw it as a schoolboy in 1960…Matthew Bourne and I, alongside Sam Mendes, first reinvented Lionel Bart's masterpiece in 1994 with a huge production at the London Palladium which we restaged in an even grander way in 2009 at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane. Now 15 years later, having staged the largest production of Oliver! ever, we want to return to the scale of the brilliant original with a more intimate production, thrillingly designed by Lez Brotherston, which in a sweepingly imaginative way conjures up Dickensian London."
Bourne added, “In 1994, I first worked, as a choreographer, with Cameron Mackintosh on Lionel Bart's legendary musical Oliver!—the spectacular Palladium revival, directed by Sam Mendes—it launched a collaboration and friendship that has become one of the most important of my career. Nearly 30 years on, I’m delighted that Cameron has invited me to direct my first musical, and my lifelong relationship with Oliver! continues! Along with my regular collaborators Lez Brotherston and Paule Constable, we are taking it back to its roots, inspired by the groundbreaking 'poor theatre' designs of Sean Kenny—who revolutionized the modern musical along with Lionel and his Joan Littlewood Theatre Workshop influences. "
Based on the Charles Dickens classic, the musical (with a book and score by Bart) follows the story of orphan Oliver Twist, who escapes the orphanage to the streets of Victorian London. Outside, he meets Fagin, the Artful Dodger, and a band of child pickpockets. The show's hit songs include “Where Is Love?,” “Food! Glorious Food!,” and “As Long As He Needs Me.” The original Broadway production, which played the Imperial and subsequently transferred to the Shubert, officially opened January 6, 1963, playing 14 previews and 774 regular performances. The production was nominated for 10 1963 Tony Awards, winning for Best Composer and Lyricist (Bart), Best Scenic Design (Sean Kenny), and Best Conductor and Musical Director (Donald Pippin).
Produced and revised by Mackintosh, Oliver! is directed and choreographed by Bourne and co-directed by Jean-Pierre van der Spuy with designs by Lez Brotherston, lighting design by Paule Constable and Ben Jacobs, sound design by Adam Fisher, video design by George Reeve, original orchestrations by William David Brohn adapted by Stephen Metcalfe, and music supervision by Graham Hurman. Choreographic associates are Etta Murfitt and Sam Archer with casting by Felicity French and Paul Wooller and children's casting by Verity Naughton.
Tickets for the London run will go on sale April 26; the production is currently booking through April 6, 2025. Visit OlivertheMusical.com.
