Oliver Twist
Informationen
Book and Song Lyrics by Christian Berg
Music by Konstantin Wecker
Based on the novel by Charles Dickens
English translation by Tim Clarke
Dickens’ world-renowned literary masterpiece has already provided the basis for numerous theatre, film and television adaptations.
Konstantin Wecker, together with Christian Berg, have now created a compelling new piece of musical theatre for all the family which captures the essence of the story and tells it through wonderful music.
Autor(en)
Übersetzung
Weitere Informationen
Sprache(n) des Stücks
- Deutsch
- Englisch
Besetzung
Orchesterbesetzung
Casting Informationen
- MR. PUBBLEBY (Theatre Director) and FAGIN (the Narrator)
- SIKES, MR. BUMBLE (the Beadle) and other roles
- DOCTOR, MR. BROWNLOW, MR. SOWERBERRY (the Undertaker), HOUSE-OWNER
- OLIVER TWIST, SALLY, DAUGHTER (of the Theatre Director)
- OLIVER’S MOTHER, NANCY, MRS. SOWERBERRY, MRS. PUBBLEBY
- DODGER, CANTEBURY (a Mouse-Puppet who wears a crozier), MRS. CORNEY (Matron of the Poor House)
- CHARLIE (a young Thief), MRS. BEDWIN (Brownlow’s Housekeeper), SUTHERLAND (a Cat-Puppet from Sowerberry’s, funeral parlour), MRS. BUMBLE (Matron of the Orphanage), NOAH (Coffin-Maker’s Assistant)
Synopsis
In a small English town, the nine-year-old orphan Oliver grows up in the poor house, knowing nothing about his origins. Following a parish advertisement seeking an apprentice, Oliver ends up at the coffin-maker’s, Mr. Sowerberry, where he is beaten and severely mistreated. Oliver manages to escape to London, where he falls into the clutches of a band of young thieves who work on behalf of the elderly thief Fagin and his brutal side-kick, Bill Sikes. Oliver soon becomes part of the gang and, when acting as a lookout, is caught and arrested. The intended victim of the crime, Mr. Brownlow, unexpectedly exonerates Oliver in court and, out of pity, takes him in. There, for the first time in this life, Oliver experiences kindness and a motherly protection from the housekeeper. Whilst on an urgent errand, Oliver is spotted by Sikes and his girlfriend, Nancy, and is forced to return to the gang. Mr. Brownlow assumes that Oliver has made off with the shopping money he had been given. During one of the subsequent thefts by the gang, Oliver is wounded and left behind. He manages to drag himself to the Maylies’ front door, but then collapses. From then on he is devotedly cared for and spends the happiest time of his life. Fagin tries to get rid of Oliver with the help of Monks, a shadowy figure who, it later transpires, turns out to be Oliver’s half-brother. Nancy gets wind of this and tells Mrs. Maylie. Together with Mr. Brownlow, they manage to arrest Monks, who is filled with hatred towards his brother.
In the meantime, Fagin has learned that Nancy betrayed the gang, and deviously passes the information to Sikes. As a result, Sikes kills Nancy. While escaping, Sikes accidentally hangs himself. While on the run, Fagin is also caught and, after Mr. Brownlow’s discovery of his thieving enterprise, is hanged.
The resemblance to Oliver’s mother, Agnes Fleming, whose portrait hangs in Brownlow’s house, is striking; Brownlow realises that Oliver is the long-lost son of his best friend, Edwin Leeford.
Oliver has finally found a home, and is adopted by Mr. Brownlow.
Presse
Wormser Zeitung, Ulrike Schäfer, 07.03.2017:
"Catchy songs and beautiful choreography [...] the enthusiastic audience gave the talented cast a deserved standing ovation."
Main Spitze, Rüsselsheimer Stadttheater, 04.03.2017:
"There are many factors that make Berg’s adaptation such a success. On the one hand, the lively scenery and the wonderful interplay between the lighting and sound bring the city to life on stage. On the other hand, Konstantin Wecker’s music helps make the characters’ experiences and interactions even more tangible, and above all, the song ‘Listen To The Voice In Your Heart!’ - which is the motto of the piece - embeds itself deep in the memory."
Pirmasenser Zeitung, Festhalle Pirmasens, 15.02.2017:
"Christian Berg, who wrote and also directed the piece, brought the famous story of the orphan boy in a convincing manner"
Heppenheimer Festspiele - Echo, Johannes Breckner, 25.08.2016
"The premiere of Oliver Twist on Friday evening was enthusiastically received by the audience. Which would no doubt have brought thrice the pleasure to Berg, since he adapted the Dickens’ novel for the stage, he directed this staging and also played two of the principal roles, that of the theatre director who, in a narrative framework, tells the story of the smart young orphan-boy, and that of Fagin, the greedy leader of a gang of young thieves whom he uses to increase his wealth"
Heppenheimer Festspiele, Mannheimer Morgen, Eckhard Britsch, 22.08.2016
"All’s well that ends well; despite the sound not always being optimal during this production – it will no doubt improved - it was nonetheless a well-constructed piece of theatre. In any case, the audience at the premiere applauded enthusiastically and thoroughly enjoyed themselves."
Harburger Theater, Hamburg - Hamburger Morgenpost
"As both author and director, Christian Berg succeeded in presenting the complex material in such a way that the premiere at the Harburg Theatre was celebrated with a standing ovation."
Harburger Theater - Hamburger Abendblatt, dpa, 24.08.2015
"By adapting Oliver Twist, Christian Berg chose dense material with which to work, but he manages to walk the tightrope with the help of Konstantin Wecker’s music. At the end, the production presents a clear political statement. The characters hold up signs stating: ‘Everyone has a right to a home’, and ‘Home is where the heart is.’ The director and actor Berg’s staging of the Dickens’ classic has frighteningly current references. As is so often the case, Berg makes himself an advocate for children, that they should follow their hearts and point out their grievances and injustices to the adults."
Harburger Theater - NDR.de, Elisabeth Burchhardt, 24.08.2015
"This piece can rightly be called a family musical. It is entertaining. It is touching. And it rocks! Christian Berg and the ensemble (bolstered by six child actors) ensure that their audience does not forget that Dickens’ tale is not just some fairy story from a long-gone past but that it is clearly relevant to all the small – and large – ‘Olivers’ of today.."
Produktionen
- World Premiere: 22.08.2015, Harburger Theater, Hamburg
- 22.08.2015, Altonaer Theater, Hamburg
- 22.06.2016, Burgfestspiele Jagsthausen
- 19.08.2016, Festspiele Heppenheim
- 14.12.2024, Kurfürstenhalle Mülheim
