Talented young performers at St Mary’s College in Crosby recently staged a production of the classic Dickensian musical, Oliver.

Families and friends turned out in force for the two performances which took place in the school hall.

It was the first time in 16 years that St Mary’s had performed the show, and the school’s first full-scale musical theatre production since 2019’s equally successful take on gangster comedy Bugsy Malone.

This time round, Oliver featured a cast of 22, including some innovative casting with a female Fagin in the form of 14-year-old Martha Last, and fellow 14-year-old Hollie Maddocks playing the Artful Dodger.

Other lead roles were taken by 13-year-old Benjamin Baker (Oliver), 16-year-old Michael Neophytou (Bill Sikes) and 15-year-old Daisy Soo (Nancy).

There were also excellent performances by three members of staff (Colin Johnston, Peter Ravenscroft and Wendy Stroud), plus a fantastic live band consisting of students and staff, conducted by the school’s director of music, Andrew Byers.

The production was directed by Peter Ravenscroft with the support of assistant director Wendy Stroud. The show was produced by Anna Smith.

Peter Ravenscroft commented: “When you take everyone into account on stage and back stage it took a team of more than 50 people to make this production a reality.

“They all did incredibly well to make this challenging show the success it was, and I would like to thank everyone involved for all their hard work and commitment over many weeks of rehearsals.”

St Mary’s headteacher, Mike Kennedy, added: “Oliver is a fabulous show, full of memorable songs and colourful characters, and our students did a brilliant job in bringing 19th-century London to life in such a vivid way.

“The energy and enjoyment of the performers was clear for everyone to see, and it was no surprise that the show received such a warm reception from the audience.”