Oliver! – BROADWAY CAST*****

Food Glorious Food/Oliver/I Shall Scream/Boy For Sale-Where Is Love/Consider Yourself/You’ve Got To Pick A Pocket Or Two/Its A Fine Life/Be Back Soon/Oom-Pah-Pah/My Name/As Long As He Needs Me/Who Will Buy/Reviewing The Situation/I’ll Do Anything/As Long As He Needs Me (Reprise)-Reviewing The Situation (Reprise)-Finale

The Broadway musical Oliver! starred Clive Revill and Georgia Brown. It opened in January 1963 at the Imperial Theatre and ran for 774 performances. Based on the Charles Dickens novel Oliver Twist about the boy who falls in with a gang of pickpockets led by the notorious Fagin. Music and lyrics by Lionel Bart. (US:4)

“As the original American recording of this fine score, it's still the best. The reason is the talented cast, led by Clive Revill and the phenomenal Georgia Brown. A seasoned music hall star from London, Miss Brown had the perfect stage voice, and this recording captures her performance admirably. Lusty and bold, her voice vacillates between as forceful as a foghorn, and as thick and sweet as caramel.”

“Lionel Bart's score for this musical version of Oliver Twist captures both the rollicking good humour and the dark seriousness of the Charles Dickens classic. The opening prelude transports us to gloomy London, as does the minor-key Boy For Sale. At the same time, such songs as Consider Yourself, It's A Fine Life, I'd Do Anything and Oom-Pah-Pah convey the carefree, if close and unsavoury, atmosphere of the thieves' world into which Oliver falls. The haunting Who Will Buy? expresses his barely contained joy at being (temporarily) rescued from that world.”

“One of the best musicals in my collection. Nearly every song is worth its weight in gold, especially the songs featuring Dodger and Georgia Brown: It's A Fine Life, I'd Do Anything and Consider Yourself are among my favourites.”

“The songs are lively and fun, and bring this Broadway classic to life. Many memorable and well known songs are in this show. The voices of the principals fit their parts perfectly.”

“I wore out the vinyl on this album when I had it as a child. I can sing along with every word, know every nuance. I loved the big numbers, Consider Yourself, Oom- Pah-Pah, etc. And now as I listen as an adult, I am enjoying the rest of the pieces.”