Theater Thursday - Lionel Bart's Oliver

We were given complimentary tickets to Oliver for review purposes. Any and all opinions expressed here are our own.

What: Lionel Bart's Oliver 

Where: New York City Center

             131 W. 55th St.

             New York, New York

Who: Recommended for Ages 12 and Up

When: Through May 14. 2023

Me - I was very excited to see City Center Encores! production of Oliver. I had never seen the show before. I had seen the movie, but it was a long time ago, and I didn't really remember anything about it. I really liked it! I especially enjoyed the songs. I remembered a few from the movie, and I liked a few others as well. On the whole, the songs are very recognizable, and I'm sure most people would know at least one or two of them. Some of my favorites include Consider Yourself,  I'd Do Anything, and Food Glorious Food, but I liked a lot of the others ones as well especially the songs in the first act.

The were a lot of great performers in the cast. They included Lilli Cooper, Mary Testa, and Brad Oscar. I  didn't remember all of their names, but I was familiar with some of their previous roles, and I knew how talented they were. 

Oliver was played by Benjamin Pajak. He was previously in the recent revival of The Music Man. Unfortunately, I did not get to see him in that, but I am glad I got to see him in this. He was very well cast and did a terrific job in the role. All in all, I really enjoyed the show. 

Mom - Lionel Bart's Oliver is and always has been a very popular show. Numerous productions of the show are performed in schools and community theaters every year. However, there are some very questionable elements of the plot including a young boy being sold. Although these elements were taken straight from the Charles Dickens novel on which the show is based, that doesn't make them any more palatable. 

Yet, there is still a lot to enjoy about the show. It is full of fun songs and colorful characters. It is limitedly family-friendly, and older children are sure to enjoy it. However, I wouldn't recommend it for younger children who may be frightened by the aforementioned questionable elements and some of the characters as well particularly a rough roguish character by the name of Bill Sykes.

If you are looking to attend a production of Oliver, you could not do better than the current Encores! production at New York City Center. This production definitely lives up to their usual high standards. The acting is stellar.  At the center of the cast is young, Benjamin Pajak, who is perfectly cast in the role. He has just the right mix of innocence and toughness required for the part.  You definitely will not want to miss this fine production. 

And that's our view. For more about Oliver or to purchase tickets, visit www.nycitycenter.org.

Tune in Sunday for this week's Sunday Scoop.

Photo credits:

All Oliver production photos by Joan Marcus

Images used in this post have been sent to us from publicists, artists, and/or  PR firms and are used by permission. If there is a problem with the rights to any image, please contact us here, and we will look into the matter.