Glenbrook Players

Oliver Twist
The Play

Dramatised for the stage by and directed by Fergusson Elliott

from the novel by Charles Dickens

May 2007

Director's Note:

This is a dramatisation of the book, Oliver Twist, a timeless classic from the pen of Charles Dickens. This is not the musical version but a dramatic play for the stage adapted by myself, and as such differs a good deal from the well known 1960's musical, Oliver. However those familiar with the novel will be more than satisfied with this dramatic treatment of the story.

The story follows the unfortunate upbringing of a young boy in Victorian England. From the moment of birth, Oliver's fortunes are beset by the greed and viciousness of the struggling souls around him, qualities in society that were endemic of the age. Oliver's eventual triumph in the story is due to his irrepressible belief in love, charity and the ultimate goodness in others, and his search for such. It could be said that the story of Oliver Twist is the story of every young boy or girl who has ever felt despair or loneliness but still believed in the warm embrace of a loving family.
Set in the mid-nineteenth century amongst the dirty streets of London, the play is literally crammed with famous characters that will amuse, delight and frighten today's audiences, as they have done for many generations. The multi layered Fagin, the lovable pickpocket, Artful Dodger, the tragic Nancy, the blustering Mr Bumble and the vicious Bill Sykes, to name but a few, will be brought to dramatic life by the Glenbrook Players for a limited season of three weeks in May.

The story of Oliver Twist, as with the case for the majority of works by Dickens, is an unusual blend of social commentary, humour and for today's audiences, a stark reminder of the hardships suffered by the vast majority of the population.
In today's uncompromising and insensitive political environment, it is instructive to be reminded of the appalling conditions suffered day to day by the inhabitants of the then considered most powerful and moral of societies. Indeed Dickens' primary purpose in the writing of his novels, was to highlight for Victorian society the many and monstrous faults and inadequacies then in place, due to institutions such as the workhouse, instructional academies for young boys, as well as the infamous Poor Laws, and the plight of thousands of women forced into a life of prostitution to survive.
The story of Oliver Twist is indeed a charming story loved by millions, full of light and laughter, but it is also a bold political statement which continues to have relevance today.

As a director, the difficulty and aspiration of bringing Oliver Twist to the stage is to embody the many elements of Dickens' original work successfully in a way that is still highly entertaining for a modern audience.
The first problem that had to be tackled was the script itself. While there are many versions available of the script, there are none that I have found to be wholly satisfying.
Many versions do not use the original language of Dickens in an attempt to appeal to a modern audience, and many versions remove some of the many characters and thereby limiting the dramatic scope of the play.

One such character that is often removed is that of Oliver's step brother Mr Monks, who attempts throughout the story to rob Oliver of his identity and consequently his rightful inheritance.
Because of the limitations found in the scripts available, I have based this version predominantly upon the original work of Dickens himself, and have included all the principal characters leaving out only a few servants and bystanders.

The staging of the play was also vital for the success of the production. The set itself had to be minimal and transportable as we are staging the play in two different locations, the Glenbrook Theatre and the Q Theatre. Because of this limitation I decided that multi media would be helpful in the audience's appreciation and experience of the story. Data projections will be used, as well as music, lighting and authentic costuming for each scene.

One of the more exciting elements at least for me in the staging of this production, will be the extent to which the audience themselves will be incorporated. Before the play begins, gangs of pickpockets will be operating amongst the waiting audience, for many of the scenes the action will spill into the seating area itself, and during the interval professional ladies will be offering their services. Not only will this make for the audiences a more immediate experience, but will also recreate at least in a small way the teeming streets, cramped conditions and cacophony of sounds and smells of Victorian London

The cast for the play is by necessity a large one, even with many actors playing as many as four different roles. The quality of the acting is nevertheless extremely high and indeed it has to be as the scenes change with great rapidity. There are, in Oliver Twist, no long drawn out scenes with heavy dialogue and dramatic posturing.
The action is fast as it has to be to tell the complete story, and the actors themselves adjust the staging. As one scene is ending and the characters are moving off, so another actor or set of actors are moving on and the next scene is beginning. The result I believe is a highly entertaining production of a classic and much loved story of which I am immensely proud.

Fergusson Elliott
Director

Bill Sykes Artful Dodger Fagin

The following editorial appeared during the rehearsal period

The Glenbrook Players take on Charles Dickens

( Excerpt from an editorial item )

Glenbrook Player’s latest production the Charles Dickens classic Oliver Twist, is nearing readiness, with the opening night of 11th May almost here. Rehearsals have been in full swing for over two months and the cast and crew are feeling confident that this show will be something special. This production is the eternal story of this young boy’s adventures, told in a way that is immediate and highly entertaining for the modern audience. The novels of Charles Dickens are a magic blend of humour and social commentary, brought to life by a wealth of remarkable characters, of which Oliver Twist has more than its fair share.

The tale of Oliver Twist is indeed full of characters whose names are familiar to all, characters such as manipulating Fagin, the loveable artful Dodger, the tragic Nancy, the villain Bill Sykes and the ridiculous Mr Bumble to name but a few. As part of the production, and indeed part of the fun, Fergusson Elliott, the director, says that the show will include some exciting multimedia which will create along with a minimalist set and beautiful costuming an aura of Victorian London, slums and all. But that’s not all, as part of the action, the audience themselves may get caught up in the telling of this story, beware of pickpockets, especially innocent looking children!


The show was performed on Fridays and Saturdays, 11th, 12th, 18th and 19th may 2007