Oliver! at Leeds Playhouse: We go behind the scenes at Leeds Playhouse's spectacular Christmas production

It’s only to be expected – artistic director James Brining and his creative team have been staging this kind of big, bold show in their yuletide slot for many years, and the results are never less than spectacular.

The production is up and running now but when I join them, the company are just about to do their first run-through before moving into the Quarry Theatre for further rehearsals, pulling it all together in the performance space ahead of opening night.

The atmosphere is energetic, supportive and very focused. There are 19 adult performers and 38 children, with varying degrees of experience, and the feeling in the rehearsal is upbeat and collegiate – everyone, grown-ups and youngsters, is on the same level.

They are all working together to create the best production they possibly can for all the audiences coming to see it over the festive season.

Lionel Bart’s award-winning musical is adapted from the classic Charles Dickens novel Oliver Twist. It tells the story of young orphan Oliver, born into a life of poverty and misfortune, who sets out on a perilous journey from a desolate workhouse, escaping to the vibrant streets of London in search of love and a place to call home.

Along the way he meets kindly Nancy who takes him under her wing and he is befriended by the charming Artful Dodger who introduces him to Fagin and his gang of young pickpockets where he comes to the attention of dastardly Bill Sikes.

The musical is rightly cherished and it features some cracking, familiar songs including Food, Glorious Food, Oom Pah-Pah, I’d Do Anything, As Long as He Needs Me, Consider Yourself and the heart-rending Where is Love? It promises to be the perfect Christmas show for all the family, and another success for the Playhouse.

Before we sit down in a break from rehearsals for a coffee and a chat, Brining takes me into the Quarry Theatre to look at the set which is an impressive construction of high-and low-level walkways with an expansive central performance area.

Designed by Colin Richmond, it is a multi-functional space that cleverly creates the impression of the narrow streets and alleyways, as well as the gloomy interiors, of the poorer parts of Victorian London where the story takes place.

The production is being staged in the round in the Quarry for the first time since The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe in 2017, also directed by Brining. He says that he took the decision to stage Oliver! that way early on.

“It struck me as the kind of story that would work well in the round, particularly as it is about community and collective responsibility. In some ways it’s also an intimate show about relationships between people in domestic settings and by staging it like this, the audience will feel really involved.”

The opportunity to stage Oliver! doesn’t come along very often and Brining and his creative team jumped at the chance when they were approached by producer Cameron Mackintosh.

“He got in touch to say that it was available and it’s usually very hard to get the rights for shows like this because there is a big touring market for them, so we just thought it was just a great opportunity for our audience – and it is such an iconic show.”

With a musical that is so well-loved, and well-known – most people will have at least seen the acclaimed multi-Oscar-winning 1968 film version directed by Carol Reed starring Ron Moody as Fagin and a very menacing Oliver Reed as Bill Sikes – it could feel a little daunting to be putting it on, but Brining is, of course, more than up to the challenge.

“I have never seen the stage musical but I have very vivid memories of the film which I have seen on television and I deliberately didn’t watch it again,” he says. “I want to keep my own relationship to the musical unaffected by other people’s interpretations. We are reinventing it for now; by that I don’t mean updating it, although I think the content of the story speaks to issues we are facing today in many ways. A great work of art should always find something to say in the here and now. It’s a story that has captivated generations through its journey from book, to film, to hit West End musical and it feels like a real privilege that we are creating the next chapter in its history and sharing it with our audiences here in Leeds.”

The adult cast of the Playhouse production includes actor, comedian, musician and writer Steve Furst as Fagin, leading West End actor Jenny Fitzpatrick as Nancy, and Chris Bennett as Bill Sikes. They are joined on stage by Nicholas Teixeira and Carter-J Murphy, both aged nine, and 10-year-old Theo Wake as Oliver Twist. Carter and Theo are both making their professional debut. The role of the cunning and cheeky Artful Dodger will be shared by 11-year-old Felix Holt, and Noah Walton and Hughie Higginson, who are both aged 13. The Playhouse had a huge response to their open call-out for young actors with the casting directors seeing over 1,500 young people audition for the roles.

“What I love about making shows with young people is the sense that everyone is equal,” says Brining. “Watching the children watching the adults is so interesting. You can see this is going to be a great, formative experience for them – they are all part of telling an amazing story. And the adult actors have all been so generous, it is a real ensemble. The spirit of the show has been very much evident in the rehearsals. It is quite an inclusive group and that helps to create a feeling of tolerance and respect which tunes into the themes of the narrative.”

Dickens’ quite dark tale is given an uplift by the musical elements of Bart’s adaptation and Brining is not about to send audiences away feeling downbeat. At the same time the production is not going to ignore some of the difficult aspects of the story.

“I think what we are aiming to do is to honour the darkness of the piece without making it overly explicit,” says Brining. “We are trying to serve that story and what Lionel Bart is trying to articulate about community, togetherness and collective responsibility.”

That feels like a very important, resonant and pertinent message for today.

“It is moving and life-affirming and there are many joyful, uplifting moments,” says Brining. “In our increasingly divided and digital age, theatre has an important role to play in bringing people together to be in the same space and experience similar emotions – it is a fundamental part of being human and it is good for the soul.”

Oliver! is at Leeds Playhouse until January 27, 2024. Age guide 8+ Relaxed and Dementia Friendly performances are available. Tickets from the box office on 0113 2137700 or online via leedsplayhouse.org.uk