a very short simple summary of OLIVER TWIST and then a synopsis

CATCHY PHRASE: A YOUNG BOY'S INCREDIBLE

ADVENTURE THROUGH THE TERRORS OF NINETEENTH CENTURY LONDON


BASIC STORY: Oliver Twist is the story of a boy born outside of marriage, brought up in an
orphans institution that starves its !hildren to death" Es!aping from this horror to London, the boy
Oliver falls in with a gang of !riminal !hildren led by a grown up, #agin" Oliver is, at last, loo$ed after,
fed and !lothed % the gang treat Oliver with some $indness where he has had only brutality from so%
!alled &respe!table so!iety& % but the gang also leads Oliver into a life of !rime and peril, and he is
soon in trouble" Oliver is res!ued by a wealthy vi!tim 'in fa!t his grandfather(" )ut the rest of the gang
are not so lu!$y, and Oliver sees the full for!e of brutality unleashed on his former !riminal !omrades"
It is a bitter sweet lesson"

The American Drama Group Europe, in collaboration with TNT Theatre London
present:
OLIVER TWIST. A synopsis
By Paul Stebbins ! Phil Smith based on the no"el by #harles Dic$ens%
&riinal score by Thomas 'ohnson%
The play opens in nineteenth century London with the preparations (or the
hanin o( a criminal an leader ) *ain% *ain demands that his story be
heard be(ore he dies% +e tells the story throuh the eyes o( one o( his
an,s members ) &li"er Twist%
-e see how &li"er,s mother, prenant outside o( marriae with &li"er, is
thrown out by her (ather ) Lord Brownlow . who immediately rerets his
aner% &li"er,s mother, dyin, deli"ers her baby in a wor$house% There
&li"er rows up, under the rule o( the (oolish and brutal Beadle who
star"es to death those in his care while ma$in a healthy pro(it (rom
ma$in co((ins% Punished (or as$in (or more (ood, &li"er is loc$ed up, but
escapes with the help o( the wor$house ser"ant ) Sally%
&li"er escapes alon the country roads, but those he meets re(use him (ood
or help, until he meets a youn boy called the Art(ul Doder who tells him
o( the wonders o( London and persuades him to come to meet Doder,s own
/bene(actor, ) a man called *ain%
-hen &li"er ets to London it turns out that Doder is (rom a criminal an
and *ain is its leader% But despite their criminality the boys o( the an
are at least (ed and clothed and housed% &li"er is welcomed into the an,
and tauht ) as i( in a ame ) how to steal%
&li"er is ta$en out with the an to try out his new criminal s$ills%
0ronically, his (irst /"ictim, turns out to be Lord Brownlow who sees
&li"er tryin to steal, rabs &li"er and alerts the police% Lord Brownlow,
not reconisin &li"er, ta$es pity on him 1particularly in the (ace o( the
stupidity o( the police2 and ta$es him home%
Bac$ at the criminal an,s den, *ain and his "icious, hal(.cra3y side$ic$
Bill Si$es realise they will ha"e to et &li"er bac$ or their hideout and
their crimes will be e4posed . their aent (or this will be Si$es,
irl(riend Nancy%
-hile out on an errand (or Lord Brownlow, &li"er is $idnapped by Nancy and
Bill% +owe"er, when Bill "iolently attac$s &li"er, Nancy protects &li"er%
*ain beins to suspect Nancy,s loyalty to the an and pays the Art(ul
Doder to (ollow her%
Doder (ollows Nancy and sees her o to meet with Lord Brownlow ) tellin
him that the an ha"e &li"er Twist% Nancy says that she will brin &li"er
to Lord Brownlow% Lord Brownlow promises not to alert the police% But when
Nancy returns to the an, Brownlow brea$s his promise and sends a ser"ant
to tell the police%
Doder in(orms *ain about Nancy,s /treachery, and Bill is allowed to (ind
out% Bill murders Nancy% *ain demands to $now which crime is worse )
Bill,s murder o( Nancy, or the po"erty and inorance that leads to so many
deaths in London% +e complains at the brutality o( London that has made
them all into monsters%
5eanwhile Lord Brownlow has realised, (rom &li"er,s similarity to an oil
paintin o( his dauhter, that &li"er is his randson% &li"er is rescued by
the police, and returned to Lord Brownlow% Bill is shot and $illed by the
police% *ain arrested%
The play ends where it beins ) at *ain,s hanin% Be(ore he dies *ain
accuses Lord Brownlow and his $ind (or bein the real criminals and
murderers% But the trap is sprun and *ain hans and dies%
T+E END%
#opyriht: Paul Stebbins and Phil Smith 6778, 6779, :;;6%