“Unconventional and unexpected”: a review of ‘Fagin’s Twist’

The Avant Garde Dance Company’s Fagin’s Twist is a coming-of-age piece of dance-theatre recently performed at the Warwick Arts Centre. Focused on the untold story of the notorious and widely unknown origins and life of Fagin, it certainly wowed the audience.  The performance was inspired by Dickens’ Oliver Twist, but the story takes the unconventional, and for me, much unexpected route of exploring Fagin’s youth, which is driven by greed and ambition in the face of overwhelming poverty during the Industrial Revolution. A tale you think you know unravels and surprises you beyond your expectations in a story where we usually see Fagin as no more than a stock villain.

The five main characters are placed in a strange new world that is unfamiliar to the audience, and we are forced to reconsider their traumatic experiences in poverty and prison, the death of Nancy and the view of Oliver Twist himself. The contemporary hip hop music and narration by the Artful Dodger juxtaposed the optimism of the much-loved and well-known traditional story so that it became something new and unexpected.

A tale you think you know unravels and surprises you beyond your expectations

The great space of the theatre in the Warwick Arts Centre allowed the sound of the music to travel far and wide so that it was vivid, booming and captivating – if not a bit loud at times. There was minimal speech, apart from the Artful Dodger introducing and speaking after the interval, but what was said was snappy and entertaining. I was surprised by the way the story was developed and the way in which dance and apparatus was used in a new and innovative way – from using the handkerchiefs (crucial to the story of Oliver Twist) for visual imagery to tables being climbed over and tossed about. The use of stage, props and dance was brilliant. I particularly appreciated Yann Seabra, set and costume designer, for her design of Fagin’s overcoat (which was then turned into Oliver’s when he took over), which worked well both visually and symbolically to highlight the turn in the story of Oliver taking over, eliminating the characters of Bill and Fagin.

The performances of the dancers were faultless, in particular that of the character of Bill, the main antagonist of the production, played by Stefano A. Addae. His chemistry and performance in the scene of Nancy’s death, played by Ellis Saul, brought the audience to tears, as we were forced to see the world of the production turn from bright to dark and nefarious. Their fight-symbolic dance routine and the emotion of Nancy’s death allowed for a further display of the amazing talents of the dancers on stage.

The use of stage, props and dance was brilliant

All of the other audience members I spoke with after the show were pleasantly surprised and suitably impressed by the talent and sophistication of the story-telling and sheer ability of all dancers. I would highly recommend Fagin’s Twist.