An undeniable triumph
10 / 10
Much of the show’s capacity to hold an audience enraptured rests on the tender shoulders of the juvenile lead. It’s hats off once again (and thrown to the rafters) to Cian Eagle-Service, affecting in Chichester and no less so here. Doubtless the three other lads sharing the role are top-notch too, but this 12-year-old’s expressive face, delicate frame and searing solos mean you couldn’t ask for more, sir. When he finally beams on being taken under the wing of Billy Jenkins’s swaggering Dodger, it’s like winter vanishing.
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