Saul Reynolds played a delightful Artful Dodger and Jennifer Gregg and Gail Evans are to be congratulated for the dodger's costume of pin-striped tuxedo and indeed all the costumes were fabulous.
Convincing make up was provided by UCOL Whanganui hair and beauty students.
Nancy, played by Madelyne Slater-Carter, was hard to hear due to microphone problems in the early part of the production but her fine voice was audible when she sang As Long As He Needs Me and there were sighs of appreciation from the audience.
Dominic Clark's Bill Sykes was so convincingly nasty, I almost feared bumping into him outside the auditorium afterwards - a villainous villain if ever there was one.
Although he played it so well, I would have liked to have seen a tender moment or two between him and Nancy.
It was hard to believe she could sing a song of such devotion about a man so utterly devoid of charm.
By contrast, Rory Abbis as Fagin was as charming as could be, maintaining a convincing cockney accent in dialogue and singing throughout.
Charles Dickens always managed to inject a bit of humour into his tales and Rosie Steuart-Muirhead made her characterisation of Widow Corney very funny with the aid of a circular bustle and her amusing interactions with De Jongh who was also very comical.
Director Jennifer Gregg can feel very proud of all the cast, crew and staff as well as her family members who helped out with set design.
Musical director, Richard Ellsworth conducted the ensemble, made up of students and accomplished Whanganui musicians who all played beautifully throughout.