The Stage

Atkinson to play Fagin in West End’s Oliver!

Published Thursday 27 March 2008 at 15:20 by Alistair Smith

Cameron Mackintosh has confirmed that Rowan Atkinson is to star as Fagin in his forthcoming revival of Oliver! at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane.

Rupert Goold will direct the show along with co-director and choreographer Matthew Bourne. Meanwhile Anthony Ward, who recently worked on Goold’s production of Macbeth, will design the show, with lighting by Paule Constable and sound by Paul Groothius. Orchestrations will be by William D Brohn and musical supervision by Martin Koch.

Mackintosh said: “I’m thrilled that Rowan Atkinson has finally reviewed the situation and succumbed to his long-held ambition to play Fagin. We have been discussing the possibility on and off for many years and to me this idea has always promised the perfect marriage of a brilliant, mercurial role with a brilliant, mercurial, comic actor.

“For this production I will be having a cast and orchestra of over 100, including an exciting new Nancy and Oliver, who Andrew Lloyd Webber and BBC TV’s I’d Do Anything are helping us to discover. It was while I was enjoying my first theatre job as a stagehand at Drury Lane 43 years ago that I was given a chorus part in the original national tour of Oliver! and I first met Lionel Bart, so I will consider myself truly back home with this production, I only wish Lionel was here to see it.”

Performances will start on December 12, 2008 with a press night on January 14, 2009.

Atkinson, who is best known for his roles in Blackadder and Mr Bean, said: “In the eighties I enjoyed doing a lot of West End theatre and since then have been distracted very much by Mr Bean and film-making. I had been thinking for some time about returning to the stage and the idea of the role of Fagin, which has long intrigued me - some time ago I even played the role in a school production - seemed like too good an opportunity to miss.”

This production is produced in association with the Southbrook Group Limited. Tickets will go on sale on April 7, 2008