Hull Truck Theatre – until 4th January 2026
Reviewed by Dawn Bennett
5*****
Hull Truck Theatre presents Oliver Twist, based on the novel by Charles Dickens, adapted by Deborah McAndrew and directed by Mark Babych.
Hull Truck Theatre have yet again managed to produce a brilliant show as their festive production. It was a deliciously dark show, with fantastic acting, singing and dancing by all the cast.
The set (designed by Patrick Connellan) and costumes (Siân Thomas) really provided the atmosphere for the show; it was it really helped set the scene of Dickens time in history.
We first meet Oliver (Vivienne Rowland) at his birth in the workhouse when his mother dies in childbirth. The workhouse is run by Mr Bumble (Andrew Whitehead) and Widow Corney (Alison Fitzjohn) and they run it with a rod of iron. Oliver is left hungry, tired and badly treated so decides to leave the workhouse and walks the 70 miles to London. It’s there he meets Fagin’s (Lisa Howard) gang led by The Artful Dodger (Zak Robinson) and Charley (Aimee Brett), a group of child pickpockets preying on the richer member of society. Oliver isn’t treated any better by the group with the exception of Nancy (Alyce Liburd) and on the day he is let out to join the gang he gets arrested. He’s taken in front of the magistrate and it’s there he meets Mr Brownlow (William Relton) a kindly man who, along with his ward Rose (Jessica Jolleys) take Oliver into their home when he became ill. Now Fagin needs Oliver back with them, she’s scared that he will tell the powers that be about the gang and what they are up to. Nancy finds Oliver while he is running an errand for Mr Brownlow and takes him back to Fagin. Then Bill Sikes (Christopher D. Hunt) arrives, a scary and very violent character and he needs a boy to help him a robbery, and this causes Nancy to make a decision that will change her and the rest of the people involved lives.
This show is well worth watching, all the cast are so good, the music (under musical director and composer John Biddle) was from traditional carols to an original score with some of the cast playing instruments on stage. The young cast need a mention, from the main characters to the ensemble (Sophia Pike, Vivienne Rowland, Eve McDonald, Zak Robinson, Maia Lowthorpe, Remi Condette, Aimee Brett, Lydia Failey, Alexandra Spore, Ella McDonald, Felix Dunstan, Matthew Rodriques, Neve Mills-Ward, Ameila Ellerby, Edie Pyke, Edward Healey, Grace Ward, Jonah Smith and Matilda Burgess) they were excellent with clear singing and speaking voices. Definitely ones to watch.
It’s funny, poignant, covers some quite harrowing subjects sensitively and deserves every accolade it will no doubt get.