At the Gielgud Theatre, the seats at the back of the stalls/orchestra are sold as restricted view because of the deepest balcony overhang I've ever seen. For most of Act I, it's not really a problem. But in Act II, we do miss the climax which happens too high above the stage. The other British thing is that you don't get a Playbill on the West End like you do here. Not inherently a problem except the role of Oliver rotates between several kids and I'm not sure which one we saw. I also didn't realize that Oliver isn't technically the lead role. He wasn't even the second billed. Fagin and Nancy take their bows after Oliver. Nancy has the iconic As Long As He Needs Me which Ava Brennan sings powerfully, on Nicole Scherzinger level. I was expecting a showstopper standing ovation but she quickly left the stage to move onto the next thing. The orchestrations are beautiful. Oom Pah Pah and Consider Yourself are also fantastic high-energy scenes. This production by the way is directed by acclaimed choreographer Matthew Bourne. I wasn't all that familiar with the story of Oliver Twist but it's way darker than I expected. I knew he was an orphan but it's quite the downer. Who knew he lived in a funeral parlour and was trapped in a coffin?
