06/07 main season

adapted and directed by neil bartlett
music by gerard mcburney
in association with the american repertory theatre
and theatre for a new audience
the roda theatre
may 11–june 24, 2007
WEST COAST PREMIERE

running time: 2 hours and 30 minutes,
including one 15 minute intermission

the show

Inspired by the vivid world of the Victorian music-hall, Neil Bartlett’s staging of Charles Dickens’ Oliver Twist uses the original language of Dickens’ novel to dramatize one of the most deeply felt stories ever written about childhood. A cast of unforgettable characters brings the underworld of 19th-century London to thrilling life—a city teeming with danger and fear—all seen through the eyes of an astonished child. By turns comic and tragic, musical and dramatic, Bartlett’s Twist was a runaway success in London. His works have been seen and celebrated around the world. We’re thrilled to present his Berkeley Rep debut with this sensational production.

the artists

A master of prose, a comic genius and a scathing social critic, Charles Dickens is among the greatest novelists of all time. The natural theatricality of his work has inspired famous stage adaptations of books such as Great Expectations and Nicholas Nickleby.

An acclaimed playwright, director, performer and novelist, Neil Bartlett is one of Britain’s most innovative theatre artists. From 1994 to 2004, he was artistic director of the Lyric Hammersmith, among London’s most adventurous and beloved theatres.