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| Oliver! opening hits right note | Oliver! opening hits right note |
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| Jodie Prenger (right) as Nancy received a warm welcome when she first appeared on stage By Alex Stanger Entertainment reporter, BBC News Before I go any further I have an admission to make: the TV show which found Oliver's! leading lady Jodie Prenger had me discovering the off button on my remote control, much like its BBC one predecessor finding a Maria for The Sound of Music. | Jodie Prenger (right) as Nancy received a warm welcome when she first appeared on stage By Alex Stanger Entertainment reporter, BBC News Before I go any further I have an admission to make: the TV show which found Oliver's! leading lady Jodie Prenger had me discovering the off button on my remote control, much like its BBC one predecessor finding a Maria for The Sound of Music. |
| But when it came to the Sound of Music's stage show I was applauding and cheering whilst on my feet, which is exactly what I found myself doing on Wednesday night during the the standing ovations for this new production of Oliver! | But when it came to the Sound of Music's stage show I was applauding and cheering whilst on my feet, which is exactly what I found myself doing on Wednesday night during the the standing ovations for this new production of Oliver! |
| The I'll Do Anything televised hunt for Oliver and Nancy has no doubt helped push tickets. | The I'll Do Anything televised hunt for Oliver and Nancy has no doubt helped push tickets. |
| The show is already one of the fastest selling in West end history and is "heavily booked" until July. | The show is already one of the fastest selling in West end history and is "heavily booked" until July. |
| This could be a bit of a blow for anyone who has not yet got a ticket, as Rowan Atkinson has only signed up to play Fagin for six months. | This could be a bit of a blow for anyone who has not yet got a ticket, as Rowan Atkinson has only signed up to play Fagin for six months. |
| But it is his portrayal of the famous pick-pocket that will be talked about long after this production's final curtain call. | But it is his portrayal of the famous pick-pocket that will be talked about long after this production's final curtain call. |
| Rowan Atkinson as Fagin is one of the show's biggest draws | Rowan Atkinson as Fagin is one of the show's biggest draws |
| A lot has already been said about the comic timing which Atkinson brings to the role. | A lot has already been said about the comic timing which Atkinson brings to the role. |
| But then you would expect this from a man who has been making TV audiences laugh for nearly 30 years. | But then you would expect this from a man who has been making TV audiences laugh for nearly 30 years. |
| What is a revelation is that Atkinson can not only hold a tune but can make you feel sympathetic towards this scoundrel. | What is a revelation is that Atkinson can not only hold a tune but can make you feel sympathetic towards this scoundrel. |
| Whilst watching his performance it is easy to forget the Fagins which have gone before him on stage and film. | Whilst watching his performance it is easy to forget the Fagins which have gone before him on stage and film. |
| Apparently stage empresario Cameron Mackintosh has been trying to persuade Atkinson to play Fagin for more than 15 years. The theatre producer's persistence has paid off. | Apparently stage empresario Cameron Mackintosh has been trying to persuade Atkinson to play Fagin for more than 15 years. The theatre producer's persistence has paid off. |
| Atkinson may have got the night's biggest cheer when he first appeared on stage but it was closely followed by the welcome Jodie Prenger received. | Atkinson may have got the night's biggest cheer when he first appeared on stage but it was closely followed by the welcome Jodie Prenger received. |
| Any doubts the I'll Do Anything judges voiced over Prenger's suitability for the role of Nancy during the TV show must now be silenced. | Any doubts the I'll Do Anything judges voiced over Prenger's suitability for the role of Nancy during the TV show must now be silenced. |
| She became the ring leader of choreographed chaos one second and the mother figure to Fagin's gang the next. A woman in love one moment then a lover wronged. | She became the ring leader of choreographed chaos one second and the mother figure to Fagin's gang the next. A woman in love one moment then a lover wronged. |
| A few muffled words were quickly forgotten such was the warmth Prenger's Nancy exuded and received from the audience. | A few muffled words were quickly forgotten such was the warmth Prenger's Nancy exuded and received from the audience. |
| Remembering Bart | Remembering Bart |
| Some of the stand out songs do belong to Nancy: I'd Do Anything, Oom-pah-pah and As Long as He Needs Me are just three numbers written for the tragic heroine. | Some of the stand out songs do belong to Nancy: I'd Do Anything, Oom-pah-pah and As Long as He Needs Me are just three numbers written for the tragic heroine. |
| It is easy to forget how many musical gems Lionel Bart wrote for his version of the Charles Dickens classic. | It is easy to forget how many musical gems Lionel Bart wrote for his version of the Charles Dickens classic. |
| The show is choreographed by Matthew Bourne | The show is choreographed by Matthew Bourne |
| A full chorus belting out Food Glorious Food, You've Got to Pick a Pocket or Two and Consider Yourself left the audience (well me) slightly breathless. | A full chorus belting out Food Glorious Food, You've Got to Pick a Pocket or Two and Consider Yourself left the audience (well me) slightly breathless. |
| It was fitting that with a such a crowd pleasing score, composer, lyricist and author Bart, who died in 1999, was remembered with a giant photo of him lowered from the stage's rigging during the curtain call. | It was fitting that with a such a crowd pleasing score, composer, lyricist and author Bart, who died in 1999, was remembered with a giant photo of him lowered from the stage's rigging during the curtain call. |
| Cameron Mackintosh worked with Bart when he revived Oliver! for the West End in 1994. | Cameron Mackintosh worked with Bart when he revived Oliver! for the West End in 1994. |
| Directed by Sam Mendes and choreographed by Matthew Bourne, that production became The Palladium's longest running show. | Directed by Sam Mendes and choreographed by Matthew Bourne, that production became The Palladium's longest running show. |
| This year's Oliver! revamp has cost a rumoured £4-5m. | This year's Oliver! revamp has cost a rumoured £4-5m. |
| Matthew Bourne again choreographs but he also co-directs with today's theatre land favourite and Olivier-award winner Rupert Goold. | |
| How the pair managed to direct a cast of 80, including three separate groups of 50 child actors is mind boggling. | How the pair managed to direct a cast of 80, including three separate groups of 50 child actors is mind boggling. |
| But judging by last night's audience's response they should consider themselves at home at Drury Lane's Theatre Royal for some time to come. | But judging by last night's audience's response they should consider themselves at home at Drury Lane's Theatre Royal for some time to come. |