Oliver chosen in D-League draft, Ex-UCD star

The Idaho Stampede selected former UC Davis standout Vince Oliver in the eighth and final round of Thursday's NBA Development League draft.
Oliver finished his four year UCD career last season as the school's third leading scorer all time. He led the Aggies with 15.4 points per game in 2008-09 and became the first UCD player to be named first team All Big West Conference.
Final NBA Development League rosters will set at 10 by Nov. 25, and the league will begin its ninth season on Nov. 27. The Stampede is located in Boise.
Neto leads Fullerton over UCD
Freshman outside hitter Kayla Neto, The Bee's 2008 Player of the Year in volleyball from Christian Brothers, posted 19 kills en route to a .400 hitting average to lead host Cal State Fullerton (14-10, 5-6 Big West Conference) to a 25-19, 25-22, 21-25, 28-26 victory over UC Davis (18-8, 9-3).
• Sacramento State's hopes of reaching the Big Sky Conference tournament for the 14th consecutive year suffered a blow when the host Hornets (15-12, 5-6) lost to Weber State (6-19, 4-9) 23-25, 15-25, 25-23, 25-16, 15-10.
Downing falls in world tennis
Nicole Hesse-Cazaux of France defeated Martha Downing of Shingle Springs 6-4, 2-6, 6-1 at No. 1 singles in the women's 60-and-over division of the International Tennis Federation Super-Seniors World Team Championships in Perth, Australia.
France, the top seed and defending champion, beat the United States 3-0 and will play second-seeded Australia today for the title. The Americans finished third in the 11-team tournament.
• UC Davis freshman George Horowitz won in singles and doubles on the rain-shortened first day of the Gael Classic in Moraga.
General
The UC Davis swimming and diving teams split against Denver at Schaal Aquatics Center. The men (3-0) won 160-135, but the women (2-2) fell 191-109. Adam Borchard, Alex Daneke, Jimmy Fong, Scott Weltz and Ashley Chandler each had two individual victories for the Aggies.
• The UCD field hockey team lost to Davidson 2-1 in overtime in a NorPac Tournament consolation game at Stanford. Lydia Brambila scored her first career goal as the Aggies (3-15) ended their inaugural Division I season.

In Oliver Street fire, Pets die

Fort Wayne firefighters battled a house fire Thursday night at 2522 Oliver St.
No one was home at the time, but several pets were removed. Two of them died.
Flames heavily damaged the kitchen and attic. The entire structure had heavy smoke damage.
Officials determined unattended cooking to be the cause, and the fire was ruled accidental. No firefighters were injured.

As Apache Cat pounces for Oliver, Hong Kong trip looms

MELBOURNE'S champion sprinter Apache Cat all but booked himself another trip to Hong Kong for the international meeting in December after he pounced late to claim yesterday's Schweppes Stakes at Moonee Valley.
The Greg Eurell trained star gained a rails run in the straight under the guidance of top jockey Damien Oliver to run down stablemate Mic Mac ($6.50) and score by a short neck.
''They made him earn it today,'' Eurell said of Apache Cat [$3.40], which contested the Hong Kong Sprint last year and came in third behind Inspiration.
''It's a big thrill, very rewarding to get him here and winning given he isn't getting any younger. (Age) is starting to catch up with him.''
Apache Cat is now a seven year old but Eurell said he was going ''as good as ever'' and he would miss the pair 1 Patinack Farm Classic to instead head to Hong Kong, where the plan is to run in the International Sprint Trial at Sha Tin on November 22 on the way to a start in the Hong Kong Sprint on December 13.
''The plan is a bit new to us,'' Eurell admitted. ''Last year they didn't have the lead up in Hong Kong open to overseas horses but now it is so I'd say we'd go there. Mic Mac will stay here and go to the Patinack Farm Classic (on November 7 at Flemington) and then he'll go for a spell. He'll be some horse next year.''
Speedster Lucky Secret led early in the Schweppes only to be pressured by the Gai Waterhouse trained Bank Robber ($16), which went to the lead and held on well to finish third.
Eurell said Oliver's ride, when holding his ground behind the lead on the rail and banking on the run coming, was more good management than luck for ''he is one of the best [jockeys] we've seen in Australia, and he'll be the best we'll see in a long time''.
Oliver told Eurell Apache Cat was ''a legend, isn't he'' while adding ''he's a star'' as the Moonee Valley crowd applauded their favourite baldy faced sprinter.
''He is a tough warhorse,'' Eurell said. ''Leading into today he was in very, very good order. And he has come out and defeated a very good field of sprinters. We have to be a bit careful about what we do with these days, there is no hiding the fact that we have to hold him together a bit to get him to the races. But he just keeps coming out and doing it against the best opposition there is on offer.''

Griff Rhys Jones to be the next star ‘Fagin’ in Cameron Mackintosh’s triumphant new producstion of OLIVER! at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane from 14 Dec

Cameron Mackintosh is delighted to announce that award-winning actor Griff Rhys Jones will be the next star after Omid Djalili to play ‘Fagin’ in the triumphant new production of Lionel Bart’s smash hit musical OLIVER! at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane from Monday 14 December 2009 until June 2010.

Cameron Mackintosh said “I’ve wanted to work with Griff for years so I’m delighted that the marvellous role of ‘Fagin’ has tempted him back to the stage this Christmas. Griff is an actor with an amazing array of successful talents, all of which will undoubtedly be poured into his unique and entertaining interpretation of one of Dickens’ most famous and beloved creations. I can’t wait!”

Griff is truly one of Britain’s most loved, versatile and prolific performers. Propelled to stardom in “Not The Nine O’Clock News” and “Alas Smith and Jones”, he won a double Olivier Award for his roles in “Charley’s Aunt” and “An Absolute Turkey”, starred in “Front Page” at the Donmar Warehouse and was an unforgettable Toad in the National Theatre’s “Wind In The Willows”. On TV he did three acclaimed series of “Three Men In A Boat”, (and will shortly be doing a fourth), urged the British public to vote for saving marvellous British buildings in “Restoration” and is currently enjoying huge success on BBC1’s “Rivers With Griff Rhys Jones”. He was last seen on stage in 2001 in “A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum” as part of the Covent Garden Festival. As a producer, he and Mel Smith set up one of Britain’s most successful productions companies, Talkback Productions. He was almost single-handedly responsible for the wonderful restoration of the Hackney Empire.

Jodie Prenger continues her enormous success as ‘Nancy’ and has now extended her run until March next year. In the role of ‘Bill Sikes’, Steve Hartley returns to the part on 15th September having enjoyed a huge success in the original run of OLIVER! at the Palladium in the mid-1990’s.

This production of OLIVER! opened at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane on 14 January to rave reviews with the biggest advance sales of all time for a West End show. The cost of this enormous production was recouped in only 18 weeks and continues to be the highest grossing show in London, playing to packed houses. Featuring a cast and orchestra of over one hundred, the sensational score is full of Lionel Bart’s irresistible songs including Food Glorious Food, Consider Yourself, You've Got to Pick-a-Pocket or Two, I'd Do Anything, Oom Pah Pah, As Long As He Needs Me and many more.

OLIVER! is directed by Rupert Goold, along with co-director and choreographer Matthew Bourne. Production design is by Anthony Ward; lighting design by Paule Constable and sound is by Paul Groothuis, with orchestrations by William D Brohn.

This production is produced in association with the Southbrook Group Limited.
OLIVER! is currently booking through to 27 February 2010. Evening performances are Monday – Saturdays at 7.30pm, with matinees on Wednesdays and Saturdays at 2.30pm. Tickets are priced from £17.50 - £65 and are available from the Theatre Royal Drury Lane Box Office on 44 (0) 207 403 0962 and online at The Online Ticket Shop.

Oliver! at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane

Rowan Atkinson on playing Fagin I The producer of Oliver! on his West End life

Mr Bean as Dickens’s gaunt, beaky Fagin? Rowan Atkinson as the sly old monster who ends up hideously squawking as he’s hauled to execution? That sounds less likely casting than Griff Rhys Jones or Mel Smith as the withered Scrooge. But then Lionel Bart’s Fagin isn’t quite Dickens’s Fagin. Indeed, he lands up, not on the public gallows, but scuttling away into the London sunset, punished only by the loss of the jewels he has (presciently, you might now think) regarded as a sound alternative to an old-age pension.

So all credit to Atkinson for giving Fagin at least as much menace as Jonathan Pryce and Robert Lindsay, who were superlative in Sam Mendes’s revival of the musical 14 years ago. True, he gratuitously reassures the audience by giving them the odd reminder of his prime claim to fame. He stages a goofy, jokey battle between stolen pearls and his beloved tiara and he even cuddles an antique teddy. But, praise be, he then casually chucks the fluffy bear into a furnace and reverts to being what he unsentimentally is most of the time: not an old Bean but an infinitely creepy criminal with lank hair, a yellow face and a sinister, silvery glint in his eyes.

Related Links
Oliver! pulls in £15m before opening
I can’t say that Rupert Goold, who is credited as the director, does much to reinvent Mendes’s production as I recall it, but he certainly gets plenty of energy out of his cast. Things start as they mean to go on in the towering workhouse — iron stairs, bleak benches, a palpable stench of lovelessness — that is just one of Anthony Ward’s splendidly atmospheric sets. Scores of small grey boys drill, sit, even eat in military unison before Oliver makes his plea for a little more food, glorious food — and then they wildly, furiously, jubilantly riot.

The particular Oliver chosen to perform last night was Harry Stott, a gentle, likable boy who could maybe produce more fear when he’s asked to sleep with the coffins that belong to his boss — Julian Bleach, looking as if he’s slithered out of a crypt in Transylvania — and more rage when his dead mother is horribly insulted.

And did Jodie Prenger, who won the role of Nancy in one of those deplorably sadistic television contests, justify her choice? I must admit she did. Initially she struck me as parading, posturing, performing rather than acting, but she went on to prove herself a tough, coarse, credible presence with a big, robust voice — and that’s all that is needed.

Bart’s songs may be unsophisticated and the rhymes sometimes feeble (“where oh where is love, does it fall from skies above?”), but they’re so tuneful and put over such elan that last night’s audience rightly cheered Consider Yourself, You’ve Got to Pick a Pocket or Two and several others. Moreover Matthew Bourne handles the thronging crowds with none of the cuteness that they so often attract from choreographers in musicals — though aren’t the bikes a bit anachronistic? — and Ward makes London a character in its own right: a looming St Pauls, swiftly moving and interlocking alleys, and a very Dickensian murk for Bill Sikes to run through.

Burn Gorman’s Sikes is a particular success, a pale, quiet figure who threatens more with his stillness than with his cudgel. There’s also a good, swaggering Dodger from Ross McCormack. And, yes, we end up with more of Dickens’s sentimentality than his horror. But that’s Bart for you, and his Oliver! remains as good and revivable as anything he wrote

Oliver ! History - Theatre Royal Drury Lane

The Theatre Royal, Drury Lane is a theatre in the West End area of London, officially located on Catherine Street, but assistance onto Drury Lane just to the east of Covent Garden.

A cockpit in that location was converted into a theatre during the time in power of James I. After the re-establishment of the monarchy in 1660, a fine new theatre was built to designs by Christopher Wren. Having been razed by fire on January 25, 1672, it was be successful by a larger and still more sophisticated building also designed by Wren, which housed two thousand spectators with the opening attended by Charles II on March 26, 1674.

The great English actor David Garrick supervised the theatre during the mid-eighteenth century, during which time he produced many plays, including most of Shakespeare's work.

By the end of the 18th century, the building was in need of updating, and was demolished in 1791. A third theatre was designed by Henry Holland and opened on March 12, 1794, lasting for only 15 years before burning down on February 24, 1809.

The present Theatre Royal in Drury Lane, designed by Benjamin Wyatt, opened on October 10, 1812 with a production of Hamlet. The interior has been substantially redesigned and overhauled many times since then: a contemporary sketch of it when it was new is shown on the right, seen from the point of view of the beau monde in the lower gallery. It is one of the West End's largest, and has been the setting for look and feel by Edmund Kean and Sarah Siddons, among others.

With a capability of 2,205, it has been home to many large productions over the years. It is currently presenting a revival of Mel Brooks' musical The Producers.

Previous productions
Pirates of Penzance (May 26, 1982 - October 29, 1983)
42nd Street (August 8, 1984 - January 7, 1989)
Miss Saigon (September 20, 1989 - October 30, 1999)
The Witches of Eastwick (July 18, 2000 - February 24, 2001)
My Fair Lady (July 21, 2001 - August 30, 2003)
Anything Goes (October 7, 2003 - August 28, 2004)
The Producers (November 9, 2004 - )

How to get to Oliver Theatre

Theatre Royal Drury Lane Location and Transport Details

TRAVEL
Nearest Underground: Covent Garden
Turn Right from Covent Garden tube towards Covent Garden Plaza. Turn left around the Plaza and follow it round, taking the first left down Russell Street by The Royal Opera House. The Theatre Royal is on the junction of Russell Street and Catherine Street.

Travelcard Zone: 1

Nearest Rail: Charing Cross (Northern/Bakerloo Lines)
Take the Northern Line to Leicester Square, change for the Piccadilly Line to Covent Garden (see above).

Nearest Car Park: NCP Drury Lane. Please note that parking in central London can be difficult and expensive. If possible please use public transport.

ACCESS
Wheelchair Access: Yes (entrance through fire exit on Russell Street).

Hearing Impaired: Headsets available at foyer (best reception in centre Stalls and centre Circle).

Oliver Ticket Sellers

There are a lot of ticket agents in the market who sells Oliver Tickets but not all of them are successful to provide tickets to their customers, among them only few customers are successful to deliver safe, secure and 100% guaranteed oliver Tickets. The list of those ticket agents are as follows:-

• Ticketmaster
• Getmein
• The Online Ticket Shop
• Sold Out Event Ticket
• The Online Ticket Exchange

Oliver Tickets are on sale

Oliver! is the biggest selling West End show of all time. The new production at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane is more stunning than ever before, with a cast and orchestra of over one hundred. Award-winning actor and comedian Omid Djalili stars as Fagin along with Jodie Prenger as Nancy, and Burn Gorman as Bill Sikes. The astounding score is full of Lionel Bart's irresistible songs including Food Glorious Food, Consider Yourself, You've Got to Pick-a-Pocket or Two, I'd Do Anything, Oom Pah Pah, As Long As He Needs Me and many more.

All Oliver Tickets are available on The Online Ticket Shop.

Summary for Oliver Tickets event dates are not available at the moment, however as soon we get any news from the artist or official distributor or other ticket agent about Oliver Tickets, our team will certainly update the inventory as soon as possible. You can also subscribe for the events alert service in order to get latest information about Oliver Tickets

Oliver!, Theatre Royal Drury Lane

Cameron Mackintosh presents his triumphant new staging of Lionel Bart's masterpiece Oliver! at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, which was last seen at the Palladium in 1994. Oliver! is one of the most beloved British musicals, vividly bringing to life Dickens' timeless characters with its ever popular story of the boy who asked for more. The new production at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane is even more spectacular than ever before, starring Omid Djalili as Fagin, Jodie Prenger (winner of the BBC's I'd Do Anything) and a cast and orchestra of over one hundred. The sensational score is full of Lionel Bart's irresistible songs including Food Glorious Food, Consider Yourself, You've Got to Pick-a-Pocket or Two, I'd Do Anything, Oom Pah Pah, As Long As He Needs Me and many more.Joining them is Burn Gorman from BBC's Torchwood as Bill Sykes. Row A in the Balcony is restricted view by a handrail. Rows U to ZZ in the Stalls may have an obscured view due to the Dress Circle overhang. Please note: Sickness and holiday permitting, Jodie Prenger performs on Monday and Tuesday evenings, Wednesday matinees, Friday evenings and both performances on Saturday. Jodie Prenger will be on holiday from the 14th to the 19th September inclusive. Leading Australian actress Tamsin Carroll (who played the role of Nancy in the 2002 Australian production of Oliver!) will play the role of Nancy on Wednesday and Thursday evenings. Jodie Prenger is contracted to appear until the 12th December 2009. Omid Djalili plays the role of Fagin and is contracted to appear until the 12th December 2009.

Oliver - Hotels Near Royal Drury Lane

Theatre Royal Drury Lane
Catherine St
London, WC2B 5JF
Tube: Covent Garden
What's Playing!

The following Hotels are near to the theatre

*= Standard Star Rating of hotel.

*** Strand Palace
(On the Strand / Approx. 3 minute walk away)

***** Savoy
(On the Strand / Approx. 3 minute walk away)

***** Waldorf
(On the Aldwych - Approx. 3 minutes walk away)

***** St Martins Lane
(at 45 St Martin's lane - Approx. 7 - 10 Min walk away)

**** Thistle Trafalgar Square
(Near National Gallery, Whitcomb St / Approx. 10 minute walk away)

*** Citadines London Trafalgar Sq
(18-21 Northumberland Ave / Approx. 10 Min walk away)

*** Kingsway Hall Hotel
(66 Great Queen St / Approx. 10 minute walk away)

**** Best Western Shaftesbury
(65-73 Shaftesbury Ave / Approx. 10 - 15 minute walk away

Oliver Royal Dury Lane Theatre Picture Gallery

Oliver - Royal Drury Lane Theatre

The Royal, Drury Lane is a theatre in the West End area of London, officially located on Catherine Street.

After the reinstatement of the kingdom in 1660, a splendid new theatre was built to designs by Christopher Wren. Having been demolished by fire on January 25, 1672, it was do well by a larger and still more complex building also designed by Wren, which housed two thousand viewers with the opening be presented at by Charles II on March 26, 1674.

The big English actor David Garrick cope the theatre during the mid-eighteenth century, during which time he shaped many plays, including most of Shakespeare's work.

The current Theatre Royal in Drury Lane, architect by Benjamin Wyatt, started on October 10, 1812 with a production of Hamlet. The inner has been significantly redesigned and repaired many times.

With a capacity of 2,205, it has been house to many big productions over the years. It is at present showing a revival of Mel Brooks' musical The Producers.

Principal latest productions

Pirates of Penzance (May 26, 1982 - October 29, 1983)

42nd Street (August 8, 1984 - January 7, 1989)

Miss Saigon (September 20, 1989 - October 30, 1999)

The Witches of Eastwick (July 18, 2000 - February 24, 2001)

My Fair Lady (July 21, 2001 - August 30, 2003)

Anything Goes (October 7, 2003 - August 28, 2004)

The Producers (November 9, 2004 - )

Oliver Seating Plan and other details

Sound Amplification
Infra-red system with 10 headsets. Best reception in centre Stalls and centre Circle. Headsets available from duty manager in main foyer. Induction loop at Box Office.

Guide Dogs
Guide dogs not allowed into the auditorium but theatre staff can look after them in an office.

Disabled Access
Entrance to theatre through signposted door on Russell Street which leads into the left of the Stalls. The door has a bell on the outside. 4 spaces for wheelchairs users, L1 and 35 and K1 and 35, companions can sit in the same row. Transfer seating to aisle seats, wheelchairs can be stored in the Stalls store room (maximum of 2 scooter transferees).

Toilets
No steps to men’s from Stalls. Further toilets at Stalls and Grand Circle.

Disabled Toilets
Adapted toilet to the left inside Russell Street entrance, beside the Stalls.

Limited Mobility
All of row K and C1, C29, D1 & D33 in the Stalls have the most leg room.

Access to Bars
6 licensed bars. Stalls bar 17 steps down from the Stalls - some seating, fairly large. Further bars at Dress Circle, Upper Circle and Balcony.

Oliver Theater Picture Gallery

Oliver The Theatre

Oliver! is a British musical, with music and lyrics by Lionel Bart. The musical is stand on the novel Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens.
It premiered in the West End in 1960, take pleasure in a long run, a flourishing Broadway production in 1964 and further tours and revivals. It was made into a musical film in 1968. A new London creation opened in January 2009.

Oliver Characters

• Oliver Twist, the protagonist of the story, he is a lonely orphan boy born in the workhouse.


• Fagin, a conniving career criminal, he takes in homeless boys and teaches them to pick pockets for him.


• Nancy, Bill Sikes's lover, she takes a liking to Oliver and treats him like her own child.


• Mr. Brownlow, Oliver's grandfather, a man of wealth and breeding.


• Bill Sikes, Nancy's brutal and abusive boyfriend, a burglar and eventual murderer.


• Mr. Bumble, the pompous beadle of the workhouse in which Oliver was born.


• The Artful Dodger, the cleverest of Fagin's pickpockets, he introduces Fagin to Oliver.


• Mr. & Mrs. Sowerberry, the couple who take in Oliver and use him in their funeral business.


• Mrs. Corney, the matron of the workhouse where Oliver was born, later marries Mr. Bumble.


• Charlotte Sowerberry, the rude but also flirtatious daughter of the Sowerberrys.


• Noah Claypole, The Sowerberrys' apprentice, he bullies Oliver about his mother and enjoys a flirty relationship with Charlotte.


• Bet, Nancy's friend, one of Fagin's former pickpockets.


• Charley Bates, one of Fagin's pickpockets. He is Dodger's sidekick.