Charles Dickens’s Oliver musical has been slapped with a trigger warning for “discriminatory language”, “poverty” and “smoke”, among other things that snowflakes might be troubled by. The Mail has more.
Charles Dickens’ very name has become synonymous with the poverty and harsh conditions he described evocatively in his novels about life in Victorian Britain.
So theatregoers are unlikely to be surprised by the content of musical Oliver!, based on Oliver Twist, the story of a boy who escapes an orphanage only to end up in the clutches of ruthless London criminals.
That has not stopped London’s Gielgud Theatre from slapping a trigger warning on the latest production of Lionel Bart’s renowned adaptation of Dickens’ story.
The musical is famous for scenes including when Oliver is physically punished in the orphanage for seeking a second helping of food, asking “Please Sir, I want some more”, along with iconic songs such as ‘Food Glorious Food’, ‘Consider Yourself’, and ‘You’ve Got to Pick a Pocket or Two’.
The website for the current West End production alerts audiences to depictions of crime, “discriminatory” language, violence and hunger.
Under a section headlined “content advisory”, it states: “True to Dickens’s novel, the script contains some mild and discriminatory language reflective of the period; depictions of violence towards men, women and children including gunshots; and themes of poverty, hunger and crime in Victorian society.”
The show is billed as being “unsuitable” for under-sevens – and there is also an alert for “gunfire and smoke”.
The current production, in which four different boys take it in turn to perform the leading role, opened to five-star reviews in January.
It is not the first time the tale has attracted warnings for ‘snowflake’ audiences.
Last November, ITV warned viewers that Sir David Lean’s celebrated 1948 film adaption of Oliver Twist contained “language from a bygone era”.
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