West End Review of Oliver! at the Gielgud Theatre

Shaftesbury Avenue Opens My West End Review of Oliver!

In my West End review of Oliver!, I will state again that I am not a professional theatre critic just as I mentioned in my review of Sinatra The Musical. Instead, my reviews come from one question. How did I feel when the curtain came down? I come to London for the fish and chips and the energy of the city. Mostly, though, I come for the theatre. So this West End review of Oliver! comes from the same place as all my others. On our second full day in town, my wife and I saw Lionel Bart's musical at the Gielgud Theatre. We walked out happy.

Even on a Thursday, the house was nearly sold out. Luckily, we grabbed the last two seats together in the stalls. The Gielgud sits in the middle of the West End. Les Misérables plays next door at the Sondheim Theatre. Further along the same street, Hadestown fills the Lyric. Meanwhile, The Book of Mormon is just around the corner.

An Edwardian theatre with a new name

The Gielgud opened on December 27, 1906 as the Hicks Theatre. Architect W.G.R. Sprague designed it in an ornate Louis XVI style for actor-manager Seymour Hicks. Later, it spent decades as the Globe Theatre. Then the rebuilt Shakespeare's Globe got ready to open on the South Bank. To avoid confusion, the owners renamed it in 1994 after Sir John Gielgud. Today, it belongs to Delfont Mackintosh, Cameron Mackintosh's own group of theatres.

One story from the early days made me smile. In 1909, Hicks's wife, Ellaline Terriss, starred in The Dashing Little Duke. When she fell ill, Hicks took over her role. It may be the only time a husband has replaced his wife in a musical.

West End Review of Oliver! and the Story Behind the Show

It had been decades since I read Oliver Twist, and I remembered little of it. Dickens began publishing it in monthly parts in 1837, when he was in his mid-twenties. He wanted to show how cruelly London treated its poor, especially orphans. At the time, the Poor Law of 1834 sent the destitute into workhouses. Officials made those workhouses harsh on purpose, so that poverty felt like a punishment. The show keeps that anger, and it never sugarcoats the cruelty.

Inside, the sightlines and acoustics were both good. Even from row O, we heard every word. Seats 25 and 26 had one drawback, though. A couple of brief scenes play out on an upper balcony, and we couldn't see them. Fortunately, those moments lasted less than a minute in total.

What Lionel Bart changed

Lionel Bart wrote the book, music and lyrics, and Oliver! opened in London in 1960. Three years later, he won the Tony Award for Best Original Score. Bart also cut a lot of Dickens. Monks, Oliver's scheming half-brother, is gone. So is the kind Maylie family. Fagin becomes more comic than evil. In the novel, he dies on the gallows at Newgate. On stage, however, he slips away into the night, still "reviewing the situation." The Artful Dodger fares better too. Dickens sends him to Australia as a convict.

Even so, the heart of the book survives. Nancy lives on the streets, yet she is the most decent person in the story. Her loyalty to Bill Sikes, in "As Long As He Needs Me," costs her dearly, just as it does in the novel. Still, Oliver finds a home. And London hears a clear message to treat its poor better.

Meet the Cast in My West End Review of Oliver!

A famous Fagin in the Oliver! West End cast

From the first scene, young Oliver made it clear that all eyes would be on him. And they were, until Fagin arrived to an ovation. Four young performers share the title role. The boy we saw hit every note and his powerful voice reminded me of a very young Christina Aguilera.

Afterward, I found out why Fagin got that welcome. Matt Lucas is playing him from 22 September to 1 November 2026. Meanwhile, Simon Lipkin, who earned an Olivier nomination as Fagin in this production, is on paternity leave. Most people know Lucas from Little Britain and The Great British Bake Off. Yet Oliver! was the first West End musical he ever saw, at age six. He joked that he's now a bit too old for the title role, so he took Fagin instead. Before this, he played Thénardier in the Les Misérables arena concert at the Royal Albert Hall.

Nancy and her Whitney-sized voice

Then there's Nancy. Ava Brennan's voice was awe-inspiring. Her range reminded me of Whitney Houston, maybe one level down. But one level down from Whitney is still greatness. Brennan's résumé explains it. In the West End, she has played Angelica in Hamilton, Fantine in Les Misérables and Nala in The Lion King. She also sang as an Ikette in Tina. Here, she started as the alternate Nancy before taking over the role full-time. One London critic noticed the same thing I did. Her "As Long As He Needs Me" drew the loudest applause of the night.

The Dodger, Bill Sikes and a famous family name

Aaron MacGregor plays the Artful Dodger with cheeky swagger. His singing and dancing fit the show perfectly, and he also has Les Misérables on his CV. Next, Aaron Sidwell brings real menace to Bill Sikes. British viewers know him from EastEnders, and theatregoers know him from Wicked. Oscar Conlon-Morrey plays Mr Bumble, with Katy Secombe as Widow Corney. That last name adds a nice twist. Her father, Sir Harry Secombe, played Mr Bumble in the 1968 film of Oliver! So nearly sixty years later, a Secombe is back in the workhouse.

Is anyone West End royalty?

On stage, Ava Brennan comes closest. After all, few performers can list Angelica, Fantine and Nancy. Matt Lucas is more British national treasure than musical theatre royalty. Still, his Les Mis work gives him a claim. The real royalty works behind the scenes, though. Cameron Mackintosh produced this revival and reworked it with director and choreographer Matthew Bourne. Mackintosh also produced Les Misérables, The Phantom of the Opera and Miss Saigon. Outside, the posters call Oliver! "a whopping great hit." They aren't wrong.

Verdict and Visitor Tips From My West End Review of Oliver!

A little Les Mis déjà vu

I've seen Les Misérables at least a dozen times, so the opening made me laugh. Les Mis starts with a stormy sea and convicts rowing a ship. Oliver! opens on a misty, stormy London night. Iron bridges, gas lamps and spiral staircases fill the stage. To me, the two sets felt like cousins. Since Cameron Mackintosh produces both shows, the resemblance makes sense.

My take on the night

The show moved me from start to finish, and I was never bored. Most of this West End review of Oliver! comes back to the voices, and they were glorious. Even after nearly two hundred years, the story still resonates. By the time we stepped back into the London rain, we were both smiling. And I was prepared with my rain jacket.

Planning your Oliver! West End trip

• The Gielgud Theatre is on Shaftesbury Avenue, London W1D 6AR.
• Expect a running time of about 2 hours 40 minutes, including an interval.
• Piccadilly Circus is the nearest Tube station, a short walk away.
  Matt Lucas plays Fagin until 1 November 2026, and Simon Lipkin returns on 3 November.
• Tickets are currently on sale into March 2027.
• In the back half of the stalls, you may miss a few brief scenes on the upper balcony.