Big, bold and bouncy: the energy of The Gilbert and Sullivan Society's production of 'Oliver!' filled the stage and spilled over into the audience whose enthusiastic response to the opening night performance was a standing ovation.

When one knows what's going to happen and has seen the movie – twice – there might at first be little motivation to see a play again, and that would be a shame. Each production is unique, and there is the anticipation of how a particular scene or character will be interpreted, the curiosity as to how the set has been constructed and manipulated to recreate multiple scenes in a limited space, and the joy of hearing again favourite numbers like "Consider Yourself" and the hauntingly beautiful "As long as he needs me".

The production currently running at the City Hall Theatre until October 17 does not disappoint.

The lead actors are solid, ably supported by a well-rehearsed company brimming with enthusiasm, and one or two impressive cameos. The rags-to-riches story based on Charles Dickens novel 'Oliver Twist' reminds one that 'the good ol' days' were not so rosy, and an orphan like Oliver was vulnerable to exploitation by unscrupulous adults like the workhouse Beadle who grew fat while the children in his care starved and unsavoury artisans were not above buying a child for three pounds.

Oliver's journey to eventual happiness takes him through London's underbelly, populated by pickpockets and prostitutes, thieves and their fences. Luck alone separates Oliver from Dodger's future as another brutal Bill Sykes. Because it's the first thing the audience sees, the set and lighting, deserving a paragraph all of their own, inform the audience that this is a serious production for which no effort has been spared. The eerie, forbidding atmosphere of the workhouse looming in the fog underscores the desperation of the young woman who left her child at the mercy of the beadle Mr. Bumble, deftly portrayed by Eugene de Rosa.

The undertakers' shop, complete with coffin shaped windows, unfolds neatly from a side panel, and is just as neatly tucked away again. The contrast between the grim gloom of Fagan's Clerkenwell and the golden hopefulness of Mr. Brownlow's Square is starkly drawn. With what seems like a flick of the wrist a drawing room, replete with oil painting and upholstered chairs, is replaced with narrow slum streets oozing slime. Iconic images, such as the dome of St. Paul's, as well as the little touches like candle-lit windows, laundered handkerchiefs and upper storeys that lean into the street add a depth and richness to the scene.

Rian Michelson's Oliver is a sweet innocent with a feisty, independent streak and Joshua Snelling's Dodger is a convincing Cockney, bold as brass. Both settled comfortably into their roles as the play unfolded. The adults that govern their lives are equally carefully portrayed: Ben Smith's Mr. Sowerbury is definitely creepy, while Paul Matthews' Bill Sykes brims with menace.

Interestingly, Fagan, portrayed by Kelvin Hastings-Smith, is more aging fence losing his grip than the sly manipulator I had imagined him to be and not at all comic as he has been portrayed in other productions.

A bright spot in a grey life, Nancy in her ruby red dress is a woman of divided loyalties. Emma Muggleton imbues her with a passion most expressive in the haunting number "As long as he needs me" her rich voice filling the auditorium. If there's a star of this show, Emma Muggleton sparkles.

The choreography is exciting, beginning with the regimented opening number in the workhouse punctuated by the thumping of empty bowls. The larger than life "Oom-Pah-Pah" and graceful "Who will buy?" help create a varied and visually interesting interpretation of the musical score. The band under the direction of Mark Dorrell produced a rich, rounded sound, full of colour.

Emerging from the theatre Wednesday evening, I echoed Oliver's plea, "Please, sir, I want some more".

'Oliver!' is on stage at the City Hall Theatre until October 17. Curtain time is 8 p.m. nightly except October 11, on which there is a matinee only at 3 p.m.

Tickets are available online at www.premiertickets.bm and at the City Hall Theatre box office noon to 2 p.m. daily and an hour before curtain time.