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'Oliver!' -Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. 14th Jan 2009. — Page 3

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#51

re: 'Oliver!' -Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. 14th Jan 2009.

Posted: 1/15/09 at 10:48am

'The moment Prenger appears, I'm afraid, the heart sinks. She seems to be hiding from the audience. Her voice is okay, but she can't act and she doesn't have the depth of lung power to fill a plastic bag, let alone a West End theatre on a nightly basis. Did nobody know this when she appeared week after week in that TV show? If not, what do they know? "As Long As He Needs Me," one of the great theatre songs of our time, is a total embarrassment compounded by a naff downstage centre rush for applause'.

Michael Covenley - The Independent.

#54

re: 'Oliver!' -Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. 14th Jan 2009.

Posted: 1/15/09 at 10:56am

"For those who have seen this new production in previews.
Does this portrait of Lionel Bart, that appears over the company during the finale, appear at every performance or was it a one off for last nights opening? "

Mama i dont recall seeing it. "

There was none when I finally (as I was to go to one of the cancelled previews in Dec originally) got to see on Saturday.



#55

re: 'Oliver!' -Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. 14th Jan 2009.

Posted: 1/15/09 at 11:02am

OK so i guess it was just another of Cameron's 'lets milk what i can out of the fact I cared for Lionel on his death bed' ploys. Just there for the worlds press to see.
#56

re: 'Oliver!' -Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. 14th Jan 2009.

Posted: 1/15/09 at 11:29am

I absolutely loved it. Rowan Atkinson is excellent in the role of Fagin though at times he slips into Mr bean mode but the audience thought that was wonderful too. Jodie Prenger aquits herself admirably and can certainly belt out As Long As He Needs Me. Both boys playing Oliver and Artful Dodger were superb. Glad it was Harry playing Oliver as I dreaded it being Gwion. The one slight weak link for me was Burn Gorman as Bill Sykes. He wasnt as formidable a presence as I would have liked though he was decent enough. Great score though a little loud at times from the orchestra. Fantastic evening that deserves all the acclaim.
#58

re: 'Oliver!' -Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. 14th Jan 2009.

Posted: 1/15/09 at 1:39pm

I have no desire to see this production, chiefly because of the thing most critics have identified- the cynical commercialism of raking up this old production and re-heating it via the magic of the talent show microwave.

Similarly, I avoided Joseph which was another re-hash. It's lazy theatre.
#59

re: 'Oliver!' -Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. 14th Jan 2009.

Posted: 1/15/09 at 2:35pm

Just found this reader review on WOS, what the hell?


"1 star It is like the old Oliver I saw before but is very good. Jodie is fab. I paid £75 and couldn't see the stage properly but it was well worth it. I know someone who once met one of the dancers and I only go to musicals. Michael Ball was really good but I liked Imagine This better. I throughly enjoyed being conned and treated like cattle but I am a woman and spend most of my time thinking of babies. - Beth"
Somone taking the piss or mad?
#61

re: 'Oliver!' -Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. 14th Jan 2009.

Posted: 1/15/09 at 3:56pm

Thanks for posting the reviews everyone. They seem a mixed bag but posts on threads like this are now as important to me as the professional critics.

I echo Dev's thoughts and would only add that if I do choose to see it, it will simply be to see if my support for Jodie was justified. And I do like Oliver and play the Palladium recording regularly.

Sparkles: Great post! That's why I stick to this site!
#62

re: 'Oliver!' -Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. 14th Jan 2009.

Posted: 1/15/09 at 3:58pm

"OK so i guess it was just another of Cameron's 'lets milk what i can out of the fact I cared for Lionel on his death bed' ploys. Just there for the worlds press to see."

Indeed.

If he respects Bart so much, please can we have a London revival of Blitz or a premiere of La Strada.
#63

re: 'Oliver!' -Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. 14th Jan 2009.

Posted: 1/15/09 at 5:37pm

But that's impossible, because he's got to produce Oliver! and My Fair Lady on a loop.

Unlike other leading artists, he thwarts his natural desire to break new ground, experiment and develop new works through full productions. I admire the way he has selflessly devoted himself to the most crassly commercial route, rather than selfishly spending his last few pennies on developing the repertoire or reviving lost treasures.

And as we all know, it isn't possible to try to balance both commercial and experimental productions and stay profitable.
#64

re: 'Oliver!' -Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. 14th Jan 2009.

Posted: 1/15/09 at 5:43pm

Well, to be fair, he did part-fund some of the Sondheim productions at the National and then there was that visiting Professorship of Theatre at Oxford (has that contributed in any way to theatre in this country - genuine open question?). But as I've speculated about ALW, he's now coasting into retirement.
#66

re: 'Oliver!' -Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. 14th Jan 2009.

Posted: 1/15/09 at 11:09pm

I really hope this production transfers to Broadway!
2008: Feb. 18- Rent, Feb. 19- Curtains, April 18- Xanadu, April 22- Wicked, April 26- Legally Blonde, May 31- Wicked, June 13- The Little Mermaid, June 28- Wicked and Young Frankenstein, July 2- The Little Mermaid, July 6- A Chorus Line and Legally Blonde, August 16- Xanadu, September 13- Legally Blonde and 13, September 28- Xanadu and Spring Awakening, Oct. 12-GYPSY and [title of show], Oct. 19- Hairspray & Legally Blonde, Nov. 9- Wicked and 13, Dec. 14-13, Dec. 26- Billy Elliot, 2009: Jan 1- Shrek, Jan 2- 13 and Wicked, Jan 4- 13, Feb 17- In The Heights, Feb 19- Billy Elliot, Feb 22- Sweeney Todd (tour), March 28- Mary Poppins, April 4- Mamma Mia!, April 15- Jersey Boys (on tour), April 25- next to normal & 9 to 5 May 1- Billy Elliot, May 3- Spelling Bee (tour), May 8- Chicago, May 21- Wicked, June 6- Everyday Rapture, June 23- The Wiz, June 25- Hair July 15- Shrek, August 9- Wicked, September 7- Rock of Ages, October 11- Next To Normal, October 23- The Marvelous Wonderettes, November 7- Ragtime November 29- Dreamgirls, December 25- Billy Elliot, December 30- Finian's Rainbow, 2010: January 9- Bye Bye Birdie, January 16- Memphis February 17- The Phantom of The Opera, February 18- God of Carnage, March 7- Billy Elliot, March 31- American Idiot
#69

re: 'Oliver!' -Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. 14th Jan 2009.

Posted: 1/16/09 at 5:49am

re: 'Oliver!' -Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. 14th Jan 2009.

http://es.youtube.com/watch?v=yu30rKf3usY
Surprisingly 'Oliver!' has never been that successful on Broadway.
David Merrick took the London production there in 1963 and it ran nearly 18mths at the Imperial Theatre. It had most of the London cast go with it including Georgia Brown, Clive Revil, Barrie Humphries, Hope Jackman and Willouby Goddard. It then closed towards the end of 1964 and went on a tour of the States, returning to Broadway at the end of it.
The return season with an American cast opened at the Martin Beck Theatre and closed after just 6 weeks.
The next time Broadway saw 'Oliver!' was 20 years later when the same London production returned direct from the UK, but this time its producer was an up and coming Cameron Mackintosh who at the time had produced a few shows in the UK with great success.
His production opened at the Mark Hellinger Theatrte in May 1984 and closed after just 2 weeks and 17 performances, this, despite him having Broadway's new darling fresh from 'Evita', Patti LuPone as Nancy. The critics took out their best knives and tore into it.
Cameron has never expressed any desire to take this 1994 production to New York even after a record breaking Palladium season and UK tour followed by Australia.
I guess he's still smarting from the 'Miss Saigon' fiasco.

In the West End its always done brilliantly.
*New Theatre (now Noel Coward) London 1960 for 6 yrs.
*Albery Theatre (now Noel Coward) London 1977 for 3 years.
*Aldwych London 1983 6 week Christmas season in middle of 2 year National Tour.
*London Palladium (the current Drury Lane presentation) 1994 nearly 4 years.
*Theatre Royal, Drury Lane London.... for ever!


Updated On: 1/16/09 at 05:49 AM

#74

re: 'Oliver!' -Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. 14th Jan 2009.

Posted: 1/17/09 at 9:18am

I'm thrilled that this production has got great reviews, and is back in London! I've always loved it and I think the West End is where it belongs. So, anyone got any replacement Fagin predictions yet? I've always thought Brian Conley would be superb!
#75

re: 'Oliver!' -Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. 14th Jan 2009.

Posted: 1/17/09 at 10:31am

I wish it was successful on Broadway, but it always has really bad luck of who it opens with that season and then it never wins a tony and then it closes. I hope the one in London goes better than the Broadway Productions.

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