reviewer    neil smith         theatre
"even if you have to pick a pocket or two, get hold of a ticket to see jim dale's triumphant return to the west end stage after too many years on the other side of the atlantic. dale has inherited the part of fagin and this production has unquestionably leapt in stature as a consequence. it was jim dale's show, and for once the standing ovation - the sine qua non of most first night's - actually felt genuine."

reviewer     jack tinker       daily mail
"lionel bart's spirited musical re-telling of dickens's favorite  weepie is given a classy fresh production by cameron mackintosh. as my colleague shaun usher has already eulogized, what a 24-carat asset jim dale is to the show. his  rueful fagin is a masterpiece - a feast of theatricality."

reviewer    matt wolf    variety  
"jim dale is london's new fagin, and at last the lionel bart revival has the fizzy vaudevillian star turn it badly needs. entering the production 45 minutes in, dale immediately fills the palladium stage with time-honored shtick - his hands revolving like so many pinwheels - and some useful pathos as well."

reporter        robert ross                      cor magazine
"jim dale is still wowing the west end audience as the definitive fagin in lionel bart's oliver! a simply stunning piece of work , it ranks as one of the most impressive musical performances i have ever seen."