Oliver Twist staged at Rustaveli Theatre
Tuesday, January 15
Davit Sakvarelidze staged Charles Dickens’ Oliver after the novel Oliver Twist at the Rustaveli Theatre. Two main characters: a small orphan boy – Oliver and a young lady – Nancy, who later takes care of the boy, were selected through the Georgian Public Broadcaster’s live show in 2011. The live show was inspired from a BBC program which often creates similar TV competitions for promoting culture.
Oliver was first staged by Lionel Bart as a musical in 1960 followed by several film interpretations of the story. The Georgian Oliver premiered in 2012 to celebrate the 200th anniversary of Charles Dickens. With conductor Irakli Cholokashvili, actors and actresses of the Rustaveli Theatre and the winners of GPB’s competition, Sakvarelidze brought the London spirit to the Georgian audience.
“Oliver changed a lot of things in my live – first of all it brought me popularity and secondly I made new friends,” Nika Nozadze who plays the Georgian Oliver told The Messenger.
Nancy’s role was the first experience for Mariam Pachkoria as an actress. Although she is not a professional actress, Mariam managed to enchant the audience with her voice. “These two years are the most important for me, beginning from the TV competition to the stage rehearsals,” Pachkoria said, stressing that it is a luxury for a person to play the part of Oliver’s team.
