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Unexpected Twist! An Oliver Twisted Tale

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I’ve seen one rehearsal and will be going to see it soon. I thought it was fantastic – lively, edgy, funny with beautiful singing, rap and beatbox. It’s touring all over the country.

Michel Rosen is the English children's novelist, poet, and the author of 140 books. He served as Children's Laureate from June 2007 to June 2009. He has been a TV presenter and a political columnist, and his books include Carrying the Elephant: A Memoir of Love and Loss and Uncle Billy Being Silly.

This thrilling production is brought to vivid life by The Children’s Theatre Partnership, whose shows have included Animal Farm, Holes, and The Jungle Book. Directed by James Dacre (2020 Olivier Award nominated Our Lady Of Kibeho), Rosen’s novel is adapted for the stage by BAFTA award-winning playwright Roy Williams with original music by rising R&B star Yaya Bey and BAC Beatbox Academy’s Conrad Murray. The strongest vocals, however, come from Kate Donnachie, who plays one of the smaller characters but often takes the lead on ensemble-led performances. Kate, like the other beatboxers in the cast, contributed lyrically to some of the rap and hip-hop songs. It’s rare for a rapper to sing somebody else’s lyrics because rap is such a personal, story-led genre, so it’s great that some of the cast members got to write their own songs. Oliver Twist is one of those classics that is timeless but tired. It will be read forever because it’s a good story and its themes remain relevant, but it’s so overdone. Whilst it was fresh at the time, countless authors and artists have told similar tales and explored similar themes. Don’t get it twisted, Unexpected Twist is a fresh, raw, radical reimagining that beatboxes new life into a tired classic. Yet, like Oliver Twist himself, it left me asking for more.

Shona and her class are studying the book, Oliver Twist. She’s the new girl in school and is finding it hard to stay out of trouble – much like Oliver himself! When she’s given a new phone by a stranger, she begins to suspect there’s something unusual about the new boys she’s met. Directed by Royal & Derngate’s artistic director James Dacre, the new play with music will star Kate Donnachie ( Aladdin) as Desree, Alex Hardie ( Frankenstein: How To Make A Monster) as Gazz, Rosie Hilal ( Harry Potter and the Cursed Child) as Miss Cavani, Drew Hylton ( Annie) as Shona, Nadine Rose Johnson ( Frankenstein: How To Make A Monster) as Rosie, Polly Lister ( The Worst Witch) as Nan/Lorraine, Alexander Lobo Moreno (GrimeBoy) as Tino, James Meteyard ( Coriolanus) as Pops, Liyah Summers ( Our Lady Of Kibeho) as Rasheda and Thomas Vernal ( The Book of Mormon) as Dad. Before we began the course, we were asked to write down all the words or expressions we knew. I thought that it would come to about 30 or 40. In fact, it was nearly 300! I was amazed. There was no greater adapter than Shakespeare. It’s often said that he never made up a story in his life. He just adapted and adapted. I’m in good company, put it that way.” Time enough has elapsed, though, for the prolific Mr Rosen, who has written or had a hand in some 140 books, to have produced another.There’s only one Michael Rosen…” as a chanting football crowd might have it. But you can’t help asking yourself if that’s right because he’s a man who touches so many lives in different ways. An ‘excuse me’ would be nice but there you go. They’re followed by an adult who plonks herself down next to them and starts playing with that now-universal, ubiquitous toy called a mobile phone. Michel Rosen is the English children’s novelist, poet, and the author of 140 books. He served as Children’s Laureate from June 2007 to June 2009. He has been a TV presenter and a political columnist and his books include Carrying The Elephant: A Memoir Of Love And Loss and Uncle Billy Being Silly.

Using a cast of predominantly young actors of mixed race works well in this adaptation of Rosen's book by Roy Williams. Rosen admits that he wanted it to appeal to a young audience but could not get the language right until Williams's involvement (so from a 77 year old to a relative nipper who only started writing in the 1990's)! There is, of course, a large creative team behind this collaboration, from the songwriters to the set designers. It clearly reached its target audience in Malvern, getting a standing ovation as the cast took their curtain call. But this was not the end. The cast returned to perform an ad-hoc set with a member of the audience directing how things went - very enjoyable indeed! I’ve been taking part in live streams (and some recorded ones) for schools. Some with the British Library on how to write your own Fairy Tales. Here’s part of one of my contributions:Shona and her class are studying the book, Oliver Twist. She’s the new girl in school and is finding it hard to stay out of trouble – much like Oliver himself! When she’s given a new phone by a stranger, she begins to suspect there’s something unusual about the new boys she’s met. But the fact remains that Unexpected Twist is arguably a bit of a misnomer, all the action being entirely predictable. A few surprises were required… but unfortunately, they never materialised. Shona’s life is a reflection of Oliver’s. Her sympathetic English teacher, Miss Cavani (Rosie Hilal), who has seen innocent but impressionable children corrupted, attempts to use Oliver Twist to help Shona understand the situation she is in – and how to get out of it. Shona recognises the similarity between Oliver and herself, comparing people in her life to characters from the novel (Cavani is Nancy) and even envisioning characters coming to life – like a psychological horror – whilst insisting that she is not Oliver Twist.

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