Glorious!
Consider yourself in for a good time as Oliver! arrives in Minnesota. Adapted from Dickens' timeless tale of an orphan boy who dared to ask for more, Oliver! is an exuberant experience, packed full of some of the most iconic characters to ever grace the stage, from the wily trickster Fagin to the swaggering pickpocket The Artful Dodger. Lionel Bart's jubilant score includes, amongst many others, Food, Glorious Food, You've Got to Pick a Pocket or Two and Consider Yourself.
A collaboration between Theater Latte Da and Hennepin Theatre Trust, Oliver! is the latest in the partnership's Broadway Re-Imagined series, following Aida (2013) and Cabaret (2014). It's a series of shows which seeks to condense down the spectacle of the original Broadway production into the relatively small space of the Pantages Theater.
The musical version of Dickens' 1838 novel first premiered in 1960 in London's West End. With music and lyrics by Bart, the show was an instant hit and was just as well received when it opened on Broadway three years later, securing three Tony Awards. A multi-Oscar winning film version, directed by Carol Reed, arrived in 1968, further cementing the show's status.
What is Oliver! About?
Based on Charles Dickens' best-loved novel, our story takes place in Victorian England where young orphan Oliver Twist dreams of finding a family to care for him. After escaping the brutal workhouse where he has lived since birth, he falls in with a ragtag bunch of street thieves who take him under their wing - and exploit his innocence for their own gain.
When a kindly gentleman catches Oliver trying to rob him, instead of sending him to the police, he adopts him as his own son. But will Fagin, the Artful Dodger and their wicked boss, the sinister Bill Sykes let him be?
Did you know?
The most famous line in Oliver comes from a scene in the musical when a group of the malnourished orphans hold a competition. Whoever picks the shortest straw has to ask for more food. The task falls to Oliver Twist, who reluctantly makes his way to the front of the hall to ask the workhouse manager Mr Bumble for a second helping of gruel. "Please Sir, can I have some more?". It's this simple question which sets Oliver Twist off on an adventure which is by turns joyous and dangerous.
