Overview
Credits
Musical Numbers
Venues
Recordings
Trivia & History
Posters
Photos
Video Clips
Audio Clips

Oliver!

Broadway Production (1963)

Production Info

Previews: December 25, 1962 (14 previews)
Opening January 6, 1963
Closing: November 14, 1964
Length of Run: 774 perf.
Run Type: Open-ended

Location Info

Market: Broadway
Location: New York, NY

Credits Highlights

See full list

...

Director

Peter Coe

Cast

... Oliver Twist	Bruce Prochnik
... Mr. Bumble, the Beadle	Willoughby Goddard
... Mrs. Corney, the Matron	Hope Jackman
... Mr. Sowerberry, the Undertaker	Barry Humphries
... Fagin	Clive Revill
... The Artful Dodger	David Jones (ii)
... Nancy	Georgia Brown
... Bet	Alice Playten
... Bill Sikes	Danny Sewell
... Mr. Brownlow	Geoffrey Lumb

See full list

Musical Numbers

The musical numbers list has been verified as correct.

Act One

Food, Glorious Food .... The Boys
Oliver! .... Mr. Bumble, Widow Corney, Oliver and Boys
I Shall Scream .... Widow Corney and Mr. Bumble
Boy for Sale .... Mr. Bumble
That's Your Funeral .... Mr. Sowerberry, Mr. Bumble, Mrs. Sowerberry
Where Is Love? .... Oliver
Consider Yourself .... Artful Dodger, Oliver and Crowd
You've Got to Pick a Pocket or Two .... Fagin, Oliver and Boys
It's a Fine Life .... Nancy and Bet
I'd Do Anything .... Artful Dodger, Nancy, Oliver, Bet, Fagin
Be Back Soon .... Fagin, Artful Dodger, Oliver and Boys

Act Two

Oom-Pah-Pah .... Nancy and Company
My Name .... Bill Sikes
As Long As He Needs Me .... Nancy
Where Is Love? (Reprise) .... Mrs. Bedwin
Who Will Buy? .... Oliver and Chorus
It's a Fine Life (Reprise) .... Bill Sikes, Nancy, Fagin and Boys
Reviewing the Situation .... Fagin
Oliver! (Reprise) .... Mr. Bumble and Widow Corney
As Long As He Needs Me (Reprise) .... Nancy
Reviewing the Situation (Reprise) .... Fagin
Finale:
- Food, Glorious Food (Reprise) .... Boys
- Consider Yourself (Reprise) .... Boys
- I'd Do Anything (Reprise) .... Full Company

Additional Musical Numbers Lists

No additional musical numbers lists yet.

Trivia & History

Some online sources report 8 previews. According to Variety, however, there were 14, starting on Tuesday, December 25, 1962. There were 6 previews during the first week, and 8 during the second week. Variety was sometimes mistaken about such matters, but the paper seems to have been correct on this.

The production had originally been scheduled to open on Thursday, December 27. Producer David Merrick postponed the opening till Sunday, January 6, in the hope that the strike against New York newspapers that was then in progress would be resolved by that date. It wasn't.

At the time, it was unusual for a Broadway show to open on a Sunday. According to Variety, the reason that the rescheduled opening was on a Sunday was "to avoid a reshuffling of performances which have already been sold." The show was heavily pre-sold to theatre parties, and it played to capacity houses during previews.

It seems likely that there was no preview performance on the date originally scheduled for the opening. This would explain why the production played 6 previews rather than 7 that first week.