Oliver! programme 2024

A SIBFORD PRODUCTION BY SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT WITH CAMERON MACKINTOSH

BOOK, MUSIC AND LYRICS BY LIONEL BART FREELY ADAPTED FROM 'OLIVER TWIST' BY CHARLES DICKENS

THIS AMATEUR PRODUCTION IS PRESENTED BY ARRANGEMENT WITH MUSIC THEATRE INTERNATIONAL ALL AUTHORISED PERFORMANCE MATERIALS ARE ALSO SUPPLIED BY MTI (WWW.MTISHOWS.CO.UK)

ACT ONE

ACT TWO

SCENE 1 THE WORKHOUSE

SCENE 1 THE THREE CRIPPLES

SCENE 2 THE WORKHOUSE PARLOUR

SCENE 2 THE BROWNLOWS’

SCENE 3 THE UNDERTAKERS

SCENE 3 THE THIEVES’ KITCHEN

SCENE 4 THE UNDERTAKERS

SCENE 4 THE WORKHOUSE

SCENE 5 PADDINGTON GREEN

SCENE 5 THE BROWNLOWS’

SCENE 6

SCENE 6

THE THIEVES’ KITCHEN

LONDON BRIDGE

SCENE 7 THE STREET

FINALE LONDON BRIDGE

LEAD CAST OLIVER TWIST ARTFUL DODGER FAGIN NANCY BILL SIKES BET MR BUMBLE WIDOW CORNEY MR SOWERBERRY MRS SOWERBERRY MRS BEDWIN CHARLEY BATES CHARLOTTE NOAH CLAYPOLE MR BROWNLOW DR GRIMWIG OLD SALLY MATRON

- Theo Fletcher - Florence Troup - Susannah Morphy-Rankin - Emilia Moore - Grace Nichols-Wood - Mila Stavrik - Maia Bradley - Pippa McArdle - Leia Parkhouse - Matilda Gormley - Meg Murray - Charlotte Moore - Rupert Day - Evie Bothwell - Edward Venn - Oliver Rossiter - Erin Ellis - Charlotte Gormley - Niamh Claydon - Evie Bothwell - Belle MacDougall - Bonnie Walford - Oliver Rossiter - Edward Venn - Rupert Day - Sammy Tracey - Monty Bothwell - Bonnie Walford - Katie O’Hanlon

LEAD CAST

OLIVER TWIST

ARTFUL DODGER

FAGIN

NANCY

BILL SYKES

BET

LEAD CAST

MR BUMBLE / WIDOW CORNEY / MRS BEDWIN MR BROWNLOW

MR SOWERBERRY / NOAH CLAYPOE

CHARLEY BATES

CHARLOTTE/ OLD SALLY

MATRON

MRS BEDWIN

MRS SOWERBERRY

MR BROWNLOW

DR GRIMWIG

CHAIRMAN AND GOVERNORS Monty Bothwell Rose Clark

Louie Shoefield Willa Spencer-Pratt

“WHO WILL BUY” FEATURED SOLOISTS: Hanne-Lydia Righton Emilia Tyrrell Eve Matthews Oliver Rossiter

The Rose Seller Strawberry Seller Milk Maid Knife Grinder

DODGER’S GANG Safia Aziz Grace Beardsall Rachel Burch Rose Clark Amélie Glennie Emily Holdsworth

Charlie Kimmins Willa Spencer-Pratt Heidi Stock Evie Utechin Freya Woolston

ENSEMBLE Lily Aspinall Jennifer Bernert Freya Bloor Amelia Clements Poppy Edgar Eleanor Gallagher Skye Hope Hall Lily johnson

Eada Nicholls Grace O’Leary Izzie O’Leary Hermione Milsom Eliza Moore Sophie Rose Phoebe Somerville

CREW Lily Boxall tom collins Lucy Fox Dolly Goddard Emily Harper Ruben Jeffries Millie Jones Coltrane Katz Emily Keen

Coco Kyte Otis Kyte Edie Madden Rhett Prenton-Jones Joe Taylor Harry Ward Bill Wright Harry Wright

DIRECTORS NOTES FIONA HUDSON - MUSICAL DIRECTOR With child hunger, food banks and antisemitism still featuring the headlines in Britain today, Lionel Bart’s Oliver! has – amid its tunes, glorious tunes – an uncomfortable topicality. Although Bart’s 1960 musical twist on Dickens is one to which audiences will always warm, it is notably hard to cast and stage.

There is a child central character, meaning that, unusually, the protagonist has only one solo: Where Is Love? And equally unusually for the genre, it has a love story that is violent and coercive: Nancy and Bill Sikes.

The opening song is an absolute cracker. Unlike with so many musicals, the big group number that defines Oliver! isn’t a song about Oliver himself. Instead, it’s ‘Food Glorious Food’, an unexpectedly cheery song about the harsh reality of the workhouse boys.

Two of the best numbers, the irresistibly cheery "Consider Yourself" and the blazing torch song "As Long As He Needs Me" were released before the opening on recordings by Max Bygraves and Shirley Bassey.

The critics raved and the show ran for more than six years, the longest-running British musical until Jesus Christ Superstar came along in 1970. Everyone went to see it.

Who doesn’t love the Artful Dodger and Oliver’s friendship, the lyrics to ‘Consider Yourself’ are really heartfelt. “There isn’t a lot to spare / Who cares, whatever we’ve got we share.”

But despite the incredibly grim storyline, we hope that you will still come away tapping your heels.

Once you get ‘Oom Pah Pah’ in your head, I can assure you that it is not going anywhere fast. Oliver! is proof that sometimes the darkest subject matter makes for the greatest of musicals.

Please, Sir, can we have some more from these extremely talented young Sibford performers!

DIRECTORS NOTES NEIL MADDEN - DIRECTOR One of the pleasures of being a drama teacher is choosing to direct the shows that captured my imagination way back in my childhood. Oliver is one of the first films I ever watched, and I was instantly captivated by the larger-thanlife characters, the atmospheric studio sets of Old London Town! I remember being mesmerised by seeing the sights of London and how realistic the Shepperton studio sets were – even the steam train in the film was built on the soundstages of the studio in west London.

I remember the feeling of losing myself inside the world of the films I watched.

So strong was my want to willingly suspend my disbelieve that I would watch the films I loved again and again.

Oliver was no exception. I must have watched this film over 20 times! The main takeaway with Oliver was realising for the first time that villains can be likable, even loveable.

The Artful dodger’s charm and charisma make you want to be his best friend.

Fagin’s abilities of manipulation are so adept that even as a viewer you become seduced, forgiving him everything. . . almost.

Bill Sikes is the out and out villain and the killing of the beautiful Nancy cannot be forgiven. With my most recent visit to the pages of Oliver what is really apparent is just how brilliantly Fagin slips and slides around people with his words and how accomplished he is at getting people to do what he needs them to.

He is the father figure to all! Oliver, Dodger, all of Dodger’s gang, even Nancy and Bill are under his spell. In our production I wanted to highlight the generational cycle of crime and how Fagin is a master of reinventing himself.

Like a chameleon he can change with the changing times and in the end, he creates a new Bill Sikes to continue his crime empire promoting the Artful Dodger as his number one.

DIRECTORS NOTES Now sit back and witness the energy, passion and commitment the performers produce in the large choral numbers. The ensemble’s willingness to work for the greater good of the group is truly heart-warming and joyous to behold. The altruism of the ‘Sibford Ensemble’ never ceases to amaze me.

Ensembles are what knits a cast together. It is from this fertile ground that small acorns grow into the mighty oak trees you will see taking the lead roles in tonight’s show. The same principles apply to the un-seen magic that happens backstage. At Sibford we pride ourselves on giving the same level of opportunity to those talented individuals who would rather remain behind the stage and in our case this evening behind the fantastic set.

This leads me on to thanking our brilliant set designer and builder Rob Burton for yet another amazing set. Rob and I think THIS ONE is the best set we have ever produced.

Well, until next time that is! We also had a fantastic contribution from our DT teacher Brian Read producing the frames for the ram-shackle houses you see in the corner of the stage.

The set has been painted by our own crew team and Art department - a big thank you to Cheryl Syrett. The RSC props we have hired have been expertly placed and our set dressed brilliantly by Nickie Johnstone.

Due to the early influence of watching Oliver and the impact of those Shepperton studio sets, it was very important to me to create a set that would feel realistic for all the cast and crew and my hope is that this production will be remembered by our students as fondly as I remember the 1968 film of Oliver!

REHEARSAL PHOTOS

REHEARSAL PHOTOS

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