New West End Olivier Twists announced for 'Oliver!'

The role of Oliver Twist will now be shared by William Barker, Sebastian Elton and Isaac Nelson, with Odo Rowntree-Bailly remaining in the show.

Please sir, can I have some more? New lead casting has been revealed for Lionel Bart's Oliver! in the West End.

The role of Oliver Twist will now be shared by William Barker, Sebastian Elton and Isaac Nelson, with Odo Rowntree-Bailly remaining in the show.

The show, which is devised by superproducer Cameron Mackintosh, with direction and choreography by Matthew Bourne and co-direction by Jean-Pierre van der Spuy, is an adaptation of the classic Charles Dickens novel. The story follows orphan Oliver, after he escapes from a London workhouse and falls in with a gang of pickpockets and criminals led by Fagin.

Continuing in the West End cast are Simon Lipkin as Fagin, Shanay Holmes as Nancy, Aaron Sidwell (Henry VI, Wicked) as Bill Sikes, Billy Byers as the Artful Dodger, Oscar Conlon-Morrey as Mr Bumble, Katy Secombe as Widow Corney, Stephen Matthews as Mr Sowerberry/Dr Grimwig, Jamie Birkett as Mrs Sowerberry/ Mrs Bedwin and Philip Franks as Mr Brownlow, with Rudy Gibson and William Skinner as understudy Artful Dodgers and Ava Brennan as alternate Nancy.

In a five-star review for LondonTheatre.co.uk, our critic said: "This is a simply glorious Oliver!, and a must for family audiences (even if you’ve got to pick a pocket or two). First seen in 1960, Lionel Bart’s musical can be something of a tonal challenge: steeped in the darkness of Dickens’s novel, yet simultaneously packed with jaunty tunes and cockney knees-up dance numbers. Matthew Bourne (who choreographs and co-directs with Jean-Pierre van der Spuy), manages that balancing act perfectly, giving us plenty of grime and grit alongside transporting pleasures."

Book Oliver! tickets on LondonTheatre.co.uk

Photo credit: Oliver! in the West End. (Photo by Johan Persson)