A new stage adaptation of Oliver Twist is set to put an interesting spin on the Charles Dickens classic when it shows at Coventry’s Albany Theatre this month. The production’s director, Kevin Shaw, explains how he’s not only giving the dark tale a minor makeover but also turning it into a Christmas story...

Kevin Shaw, the Albany Theatre’s ever-enthusiastic chief executive & artistic director, clearly has a thing for Charles Dickens, an author he calls “the master writer”. 
Now in his fourth year at the Coventry venue, he’s about to helm his third Christmas show, and following well-received productions of A Christmas Carol, in 2021 and ’22, will again be adapting source material from the man who’s widely considered to be the greatest novelist of the Victorian era. Kevin admits, though, that Oliver Twist is a completely different beast to the Carol; not only is it a darker and much longer story, there’s also the minor matter of needing to fabricate a Christmas connection for yuletide audiences!

“Obviously it’s quite a sprawling old novel, so it needs condensing quite a lot,” he says, admitting he’s already on his fourth draft of the script. “What I really don’t want is for it to be an epically long night at the theatre; it’s really important that we don’t have the audience raising the white flags!”

Kevin says the play - and he’s keen to point out that it is very much a play, not a musical - will be a faithful retelling of the story. Dickens’ words will be punctuated with folk songs from the period, not to mention a few Christmas carols just for good measure. The latter isn’t the only link to the festive season, though, as the play is set on Christmas Eve. The key plot device is an accidental coming together of a group of former childhood friends, who bump into each other after many years apart. It turns out they were all members of Fagin’s infamous gang of pickpockets. 
“They’ve all grown up now,” explains Kevin. “Some of them are still criminals, some might have gone straight, some might have done quite well for themselves. Because it’s Christmas Eve and they recognise each other, they settle down to reminisce about their childhoods and tell the tale of Oliver Twist.”

The grown-ups involved are mostly minor characters from the novel - there’s no Artful Dodger for starters - but the play will have more than one timeline, so more familiar names and faces, including Fagin himself, will appear in flashback. It’s a time-honoured device but likely to be a challenging one for the ensemble cast of seven, who each play several characters. 
“It’s very much a hat-change show, and will be very fluid,” says Kevin, who couldn’t be happier with or more confident in the actors chosen to play the roles. All are local to the area, with three of the seven having appeared in his previous festive productions.
“The audition process was so hard because we had so many absolutely brilliant people -  I probably could’ve cast it twice over. I think you forget that there’s a huge talent pool in Coventry and the broader West Midlands.”

One of the director’s stated intentions is to invest in what he calls “the local theatre ecology”. As a result he only hires actors from the immediate area.
“We’re a community theatre, and I want our community to see members of their own community on the stage - I think that has a resonance both for the performers and the audience.” 

The community element extends to the entire company, as Kevin encourages everyone to be involved in the creative process when putting the show together.
“I go into the rehearsal room with loads of notes, but most of them end up in the bin as the actors come up with something better!
“I’m never not prepared, but it’s all about collaboration, and I think it’s really important that everybody is involved in the creative process - not just the actors, but the musical director, the designers, everyone. It makes it a better show, but it also increases everyone’s commitment to making it a better show.
“In terms of this year’s cast, yes, there are some returnees, but there are also people who we’ve not worked with before, because I don’t want to get too cosy, as it were. I think it’s about building an ensemble of performers who are familiar with the theatre and the audience, and the audience becomes familiar with them.”

The notion of not wanting to get too cosy also played a part in Kevin’s decision not to bring back A Christmas Carol for a third time, even though it was hugely popular and has a ready-made school-party audience, given the novella’s continued presence on the GCSE syllabus.
“I just thought if we bring it back again for a third year running, yes, the schools will keep coming, but I wanted to challenge myself and the team in a different way. I didn’t want to become the theatre that just does A Christmas Carol.
“I know there are people who are massive fans and who will come over and over again to see the same show, but there are also people who won’t. I want to build a reputation for the Albany Christmas production as something to come and see, not just the [individual] title.”

Achieving that aim inevitably means putting on bigger and better shows - last year’s A Christmas Carol was lauded for its high-quality production values and has certainly set the bar high - but Kevin is up for the task.
“Let’s hope we make a big step forward. I’m hedging my bets, but yes, of course we’re aiming to improve all the time, and I think if people liked A Christmas Carol, they’re gonna love Oliver Twist.”

Although he’s determined to keep highlights of the new production close to his chest, he’s happy to reveal that audiences can expect a few showstopping scenes.
“I don’t want to give any spoilers - I prefer a theatrical surprise to be an actual surprise - but yes, we’ve got a few moments which I think people will really respond to; some big visual set pieces. People can expect a cracking telling of a classic tale. It has some darker elements, as the novel does, but it will be a really interesting, visually arresting and fun night out at the theatre. 
“Oliver Twist is a dark novel, and we won’t shy away from that, but we’re also mindful that there will be some young children there. Having said that, children watch such dark stuff that I’m not letting it bother me too much!”

by Steve Adams

Oliver Twist shows at The Albany Theatre, Coventry, from Saturday 9 to Sunday 31 December