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Charles Dickens’s Oliver Musical Slapped With Trigger Warning for “Discriminatory Language”, “Poverty” and “Smoke”

by Will Jones
1 March 2025 3:00 PM

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”.

Worth reading in full.

Tags: Charles DickensSnowflakesTheatreTrigger WarningsWoke Gobbledegook

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20 Comments
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godknowsimgood
godknowsimgood
2 months ago

I’m in two minds about trigger warnings, they’re fairly harmless and are certainly preferable to not putting on shows for reasons such as ‘political incorrectness’, and there are some shows you’d like to know about before bringing a prudish relative to.

Silly trigger warnings like this one create publicity which sells tickets.

Not that Oliver! needs much publicity nor would anyone ever dare try to ban it, one of the most enjoyable shows ever staged, with superb songs by the genius, Lionel Bart.

3
0
Mogwai
Mogwai
2 months ago
Reply to  godknowsimgood

I loved watching Chicago. I wonder what trigger warnings a wokey theatre would put on that…
Personally, why even bother to report on this sort of thing anymore? It’s here to stay, I reckon, and now it’s just so humdrum it’s not even newsworthy. This sort of article drops, we all have a moan, make the same comments we’ve all said a million times before, then another similar article drops, concerning a museum, art gallery, literature or what have you…same old same old, nothing changes. I think the best thing one can do with regards to trigger warnings is just carry on as normal and ignore them. The less the insanity that surrounds us in Clown World is acknowledged the better.

5
-1
transmissionofflame
transmissionofflame
2 months ago
Reply to  godknowsimgood

Far from harmless

It reinforces the notion that offence is given, not taken

14
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godknowsimgood
godknowsimgood
2 months ago
Reply to  transmissionofflame

I didn’t say harmless, I said fairly harmless. There is a difference. I agree with Mogwai, they’re not something worth getting too worked up about. They can be useful in some cases, and when they’re silly, it’s best just to ignore them.

2
-1
transmissionofflame
transmissionofflame
2 months ago
Reply to  godknowsimgood

I know you said “fairly harmless”. “Far from harmless” also means “Far from fairly harmless”. Never useful. Definitely something to get worked up about.

2
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David101
David101
2 months ago
Reply to  transmissionofflame

I think it’s entirely harmless, so long as it just sits in the corner of a website minding its own business. It’s only when the production’s editors start caving to the woke brigade and start altering the race of Dicken’s characters and watering down the depictions of poverty and criminality that alarm bells should begin to sound.

4
-2
transmissionofflame
transmissionofflame
2 months ago
Reply to  David101

It harms me! I’m sick of the professionally, perpetually offended and equally sick of the people that pander to them.

And “trigger warnings” are the start of a slippery slop.

All part of the great pandemic of safetyism.

7
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godknowsimgood
godknowsimgood
2 months ago
Reply to  transmissionofflame

So you’re triggered by trigger warnings. They’ll have to start issuing trigger warnings for trigger warnings.

3
-1
transmissionofflame
transmissionofflame
2 months ago
Reply to  godknowsimgood

Exactly

I avoid a lot of situations because of this stuff- just trying to live in my bubble

2
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JXB
JXB
2 months ago

Last November, ITV warned viewers that Sir David Lean’s celebrated 1948 film adaption of Oliver Twist contained “language from a bygone era”.

If were to borrow Dr Who’s TARDIS and travel back to the years prior to the 1990s, and show TV programmes and films from 21st Century, they would need a trigger warning: “Language and behaviour from a forlorn era”.

9
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Ron Smith
Ron Smith
2 months ago
Reply to  JXB

They would say that will never happen, and think you are joking.

1
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Alan M
Alan M
2 months ago

I saw the show in Chichester last year (brilliant) and I don’t remember anything so silly. Then again, I didn’t buy a programme or look on-line.

5
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Ron Smith
Ron Smith
2 months ago

“; depictions of violence towards men, women and children including gunshots; and themes of poverty, hunger and crime in Victorian society.”

How queer!

1
0
David101
David101
2 months ago

I’m reminded of mountains and molehills. For goodness sake, if you’re so hung up about unnecessary trigger warnings, then can’t you just ignore them? To be offended by a trigger warning that you don’t even have to look at is just as “snowflake” as being offended by the content (which, by the way nobody will be).

Last edited 2 months ago by David101
2
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David101
David101
2 months ago

This all sounds a bit Twisted! 🙂

0
0
Mogwai
Mogwai
2 months ago
Reply to  David101

I think trigger warnings trigger people.🤭

1
0
CircusSpot
CircusSpot
2 months ago

Better not tell them the man who takes Oliver under his wing is Jewish!

0
0
DontPanic
DontPanic
2 months ago

To paraphrase Scrooge, It offends because there are no foodbanks no social housing. Also I believe from memory of the films no ethnic representation

2
0
Covid-1984
Covid-1984
2 months ago

Bill Sykes may have homosexual traits…who knew…🤔

1
0
A. Contrarian
A. Contrarian
2 months ago

I don’t even think it’s the “snowflake” audiences that are bothered by this (on the whole, with a few exceptions) but rather the theatre/theatre companies themselves wanting to a) look caring and progressive and woke but perhaps mostly b) not wanting to get sued or even worse cancelled for somehow causing offence.

1
0

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