Interview: Reviewing The Situation with Steve Furst, OLIVER!'s Fagin, at Leeds Playhouse

Family favourite, Oliver!, has opened to five star reviews at Leeds Playhouse. Gary Naylor asked its Fagin, Steve Furst, ten questions about Lionel Bart's masterpiece.

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1. Why Oliver! and why now?

Oliver! is our West Side Story – it's part of our cultural heritage so it works anytime it is revived. It's a hardy perennial in our musical theatre garden. 

2. Many in the audience will feel like they were born knowing these iconic songs - does that bring more pressure to arrangements and performances?

Prior knowledge can be a double edged sword; on the one hand it is great that an audience know all the songs but then everyone has their favourite version of a particular song and if your version veers from that, that adds an undue pressure. But I think that if you do these songs as well as this company are doing them then EVERYBODY will come away happy. 

3. Lionel Bart is a somewhat forgotten giant of British theatre - have you any plans to honour this extraordinary, flawed genius in the production or in other materials?

Great question. I LOVE Bart. I'm fascinated by him. A dear friend of mine, Simon Hanning wrote a lovely stage version of his life with the wondrous Johnny Barr in the lead. However think there is more to explore with this genius. And, in my guise as my alter ego Lenny Beige I shall be honouring the genius of Bart in a new show and picking songs from his other musicals, including TWANG!! - the Robin Hood musical.

4. Carol Reed's film version of the show captured the darkness that Charles Dickens unapologetically included in his book, The Killing of Nancy a particularly brutal passage and fan favourite of the Victorians. How will you address that aspect of the show in these very different days?

There was much talk about this particular aspect. It is brutal. But I honestly think we capture the brutality without any unnecessary violence. It's happening but not right in front of your eyes. If you like, we as an audience, see it from a different perspective. It really really works.

5. Likewise, Ron Moody's Fagin (on stage and screen) is a magnificently realised character, but problematic in some of the cruder elements of its caricature - how will you get inside this role for 2023's audiences?

James, the director, didn't want to make Fagin an out-and-out Jewish character (Bart doesn't mention the fact he is jewish at all, unlike Dickens) but wanted him to be played by someone who was Jewish. I don't mind non-Jewish actors like Christopher Eccleston playing him, but there is a history to him that is informed by his being Jewish. And I was far more interested in exploring the fact that my Fagin never rests, he's always looking over his shoulder. And that for me is an intrinsically Jewish character trait - the need to look over your shoulder. Sadly this has become a reality once more with the recent rise in anti-semitism. 

6. It's a family show for all that, so what can families, from 7 to 70, expect from the production?

What they can always expect from Oliver!, GREAT songs. But with this particular production, it's in the round, which is genuinely thrilling. The audience at the back of the theatre get a more immersive experience - with characters running behind them, in front of them - they're almost in it. 

7. There's joy of course, but pain too in Bart's classic - in the age of foodbanks, what balance of those two emotions would you expect the audience to take home with them?

You can't shy away from the horrors that children experienced back in Victorian Britain. Sadly too many are experiencing poverty in this day and age, which is nothing short of obscene. Presenting this show at Christmas accentuates the divide between those that have and those that haven't and I hope any show that shines a light on poverty issues has a positive effect on an audience. But at the end of the day, it's Oliver and you will go home very pleased.

8. Many people might think theatre is not for them, especially if the show is not a traditional pantomime. What steps are you taking to clear that obstacle that so many people place in front of the theatre door?

I honestly think we need to remove the language like 'people think theatre isn't for them'. If people hear that often enough they will believe it. We need to keep saying 'theatre is for everyone'. Performance-wise, you only have to look at our cast of youngsters to realise that it truly is for all. I've never been part of such an all inclusive cast. It honestly warms the cockles of my heart. And as for Oliver! - it is THE family show, everyone will take something memorable away. 

9. Tell us exactly how much fun it has been rehearsing songs like "Reviewing the Situation" and "Pick a Pocket or Two"?

I LOVE those songs. Both are so so different - "Pocket" is joyous and playful and to play it with the 'gang' is humbling and inspiring - those kids are pretty amazing. "Reviewing" is dramatic  - its a man in turmoil - but, like Fagin, it is playful and touching. 

10. If you had a single sentence pitch to a family looking to make this show their big Christmas treat, what would you say?

There is no other show that hits the spot for every age, every person with the most memorable number of songs in musical theatre and it has never been presented in this new and exciting way before- and The Playhouse have made it affordable for all.

Oliver! is at Leeds Playhouse until 27 January

Photo Credit: Alistair Muir

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