Oliver! sets date to close

June 21, 2010

Cameron Mackintosh’s big-budget production of Oliver! at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane will close on 8 January 2011.

Russ Abbot as Fagin in Oliver!

The show, which originally cast Jodie Prenger in the lead role of Nancy through BBC talent show I’d Do Anything, premiered on 14 January 2009 at the venue. This month the show’s fourth Fagin started work, with Russ Abbot stepping into Griff Rhys Jones’s beard and hat to take on the role. Rowan Atkinson originated the part in the current production.

Lionel Bart’s musical adaptation of Charles Dickens’s classic novel Oliver Twist first premiered in London in 1960. The current production is directed by Rupert Goold (Enron), based on Sam Mendes 1994 production.

Other cast include Kerry Ellis (Wicked) as Nancy, Steven Hartley as Bill Sikes and Stephen Moore as Mr Brownlow.

Large-scale shows hovering as possible replacements for Oliver! at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane include a rumoured Broadway transfer of Disney show Shrek.

Special offer: Save £21 on tickets to see Oliver! at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane in London