‘Oliver Twist’ draws theater enthusiasts

Iranian theater enthusiasts have hailed an adaptation of ‘Oliver Twist’ play, on stage at Tehran’s Vahdat Hall.

Because the musical play was welcomed by the enthusiasts and early-day tickets for the performance sold out within hours, the distributer said it will sell tickets for the extra days of the performance.

Directed by Hossein Parsaei, the play stars renowned Iranian stars, including Mahnaz Afshar, Navid Mohammadzadeh, Amir-Kaveh Ahaninjan, Atila Pesyani, Saeed Changizian, Houtan Shakiba, and Darioush Movaffaq.

Written by the English author Charles Dickens (1802-1885), the story revolves around an orphan named Oliver Twist who is born in a workhouse and sold into apprenticeship with an undertaker.

After escaping his house, Twist travels to London, where he meets “The Artful Dodger,” a member of a gang of juvenile pickpockets led by the elderly criminal, Fagin.

The classic novel is famous for its unromantic portrayal of criminals and their sordid lives, as well as for exposing the cruel treatment of the many orphans in London during the mid-19th century.

Dickens satirizes the hypocrisies of his time, including child labor, the recruitment of children as criminals, and the presence of street children.

The classic novel has been the subject of numerous adaptations for various media, including a highly successful musical play, and the multiple Academy Award-winning 1968 motion picture.

MG/MMF