AS A work, Oliver! lends itself well to the summer project since it allows for a large cast and is a story that naturally has roles for many children.

These factors were certainly utilised to advantage here as this was a cast of large numbers, some of them quite young.

The show looked impressive, benefitting from the resource of the Mayflower and the experience and talents of the professional designers and technicians, with Rachel Fox’s design and James Chant’s lighting being particularly worth mention.

Musical direction was crucial to the success of the show and musical director Simon Slater, with his assistant Will Pickering, did a fine job of adding something fresh to even the most familiar of numbers.

Director Michael Ockwell displayed affinity and an incisive understanding of the material to produce a tightly directed, perfectly paced production, with good set pieces and an exciting dramatic edge.

Act 1 ended with a cliff hanger just as Oliver was arrested by the police,(reminiscent of how Dickens published the stories in the 19th century in weekly instalments) which showed the power of simplicity.

The climax to the story of Sykes and Nancy in Act 2 was handled with real dramatic flair.

There was an inventive use of the auditorium space, permitting the entire cast to appear together in a way not possible on the stage, allowing the audience to become immersed in the action.

This was a production very much about all the performers and the talented youngsters gave their all. George Shrapnell made a real impression and sang the role of Mr Bumble beautifully.

In the central roles, Thomas Norman made an appealing Oliver, Charlie Steggall displayed both his vocal and dancing skills as Dodger, and Sam Wood gave a large, rollicking and at times sadly humorous performance as the amoral Fagin.

Georgia Carr was simply magnificent as Nancy. This was a performer with great stage presence, a big voice and plenty of charisma.

Karen Robson