Story

Rockin’ Oliver! is a sequel to Lionel Bart’s masterpiece Oliver! which is a musical drama about Oliver Twist. Rockin’ Oliver! is about Oliver Twist’s great-great grandson, Oliver Philip Brownlow, who lives in south Lonfon and attends Clarington House Preparatory School, in suburban London, over one hundred years and four generations later.

Oliver Twist has just asked for more gruel in the workhouse and all of the boys at his table are punished for taking part in drawing straws to ask for more. They have their gruel ration cut in half and their work day extended. Oliver’s best friends, Dick and John, who sat at his table, soon die from hunger. John sneaks off and steals food and is caught. Another boy, Sebastian, is apprenticed as a chimney sweep. After their deaths, the spirits of Dick and John rest for over one hundred years and rise again in the 1950’s and go to find whatever became of Oliver.

Oliver Twist had run off to London and had been adopted by the wealthy Brownlow family. Oliver Twist’s great-great grandson, also known as Oliver, was born to the Brownlow family in 1945, now living in Kent, south-east of London, and it is noticed that, even in his infancy, he has an ear and a love for music. He is a musical child prodigy and can play a guitar by ear. Oliver Brownlow has a younger brother, Wesley, who is destined to play football (soccer).  He also has cousins in Canada and Australia.

In 1956, at the age of 11, Oliver has joined the Clarington House School choir and has become proficient on an electric rhythm and blues guitar that his parents have bought for him. He gets into trouble with the conservative headmaster for playing rock ‘n roll at school. Wesley, aged 9, is on a school football team. Oliver heads off to the east end of London, and stumbles across a coffee bar called “The 2 i's” where rock ‘n roll is being played. Oliver gets up on stage and plays a rocking number, where he is a big hit. He is discovered by the Artful Bopper, also a singer and the great-great grandson of the Artful Dodger, and Bill Fagin, President of Fagin Records, who wants to record Oliver. Unknown to Oliver, Bill Fagin is a corrupt and crooked record dealer who bribes radio stations to play Oliver’s records, a practice then known as ‘payola’. When Oliver becomes successful, Bill keeps two sets of accounting books and steals most of Oliver’s royalties and lives a lavish lifestyle. Seth Sykes, also a crooked teddy boy associate of Bill’s, is in on the secret of the second set of accounting books. He threatens anyone who finds out about the secret.

Another boy, David Freedman, who plays drums, backs up Oliver and becomes his best friend. Oliver goes to record at Fagin Records and becomes an overnight success. In 1957, he takes on his professional name of Rockin’ Oliver and forms a band called the Twisters, named in honour of Oliver Twist. By September 1957, he has the number one record on the pop charts, with a gold record and a huge sum of money coming in, restoring the Brownlow wealth. After a brief illness, his fans shower him with love and gifts. Oliver’s father begins to notice his son’s royalty cheques shrinking even though his record sales are going higher. He questions Bill Fagin and gets vague answers. He is told that Bill has set up a trust fund for Oliver.

In the summer of 1958, Oliver is asked to perform at the Summer Fete in the Midlands town where the workhouse was. He agrees. Meanwhile, he and David stroll through the ruins of the workhouse and meet up with the spirits of Dick and John who befriend him with an hilarious encounter. Oliver performs rock ‘n roll afterwards. The spirits are shocked by his music and exasperated at the money that he has made. The little spirits are totally out of touch with modern society and don't understand things that are going on around them. Their intepretation of modern things is quite comical. The spirit of Sebastian also appears and is scared away by the loud music. Oliver has their graves blessed so that they can get to heaven. In 1959, Dick and John are appointed to watch over Oliver and Wesley, after the deaths of Buddy Holly, the Big Bopper and Ritchie Valens. However, they are given insight into the future and are foretold of the fall of Rockin’ Oliver’s career and the rise of Wesley as a great footballer. Sebastian is appointed to watch over the Artful Bopper, who has joined Rockin’ Oliver’s group. The ruin of the workhouse is demolished, using money that Rockin’ Oliver had raised while performing at the Summer Fete. 

Meanwhile, Oliver’s father, Philip, demands to see the accounting books. There are two sets of accounting books and a set of false receipts kept hidden. Bill and Seth are afraid of it getting found out, so when Mary, proprietor of The 2 i's coffee bar, warns Seth about it, he threatens to kill both Oliver and Philip, if Philip goes too far with his enquiries about the situation. Mary eventually tells the Brownlows about what is going on and Philip Brownlow goes to the police. An investigation leads to the arrest of both Bill and Seth after it is discovered that a trust fund had not existed and that the money had been embezzled. Oliver is given what is left of his royalties, which is still a tidy sum, and decides to form his own record company with his father as manager and print his own labels. The Artful Bopper becomes the new record producer. The workhouse spirits know that Rockin’ Oliver would not be able to compete with the new sound of the coming sixties and with the rise of the Beatles.

Rockin’ Oliver’s story ends in 1960 with Oliver as a 15 year old teenager in love with a beautiful girl named Elizabeth and promoting the dance, “The Twist”. Wesley, now 13, has his sights set on professional football. Meanwhile, another famous rocker, Eddie Cochran, has been killed and Oliver’s parents become worried about his safety. Patrick Pirie, a descendent of a convict prisoner who was one of the original Fagin's gang who knew Oliver Twist, arrives in England after contacting Philip Brownlow, and is adopted into the Brownlow family, because his ancestor was a ‘sort of friend’ of the family.

After four years as a super star, Rockin’ Oliver is then encouraged to retire from music to enjoy his money and his life to avoid the heartbreak of a fall in his popularity. The Brownlows would eventually move to their country home and settle down.

So come back to the 1950’s and follow the story of the boy prodigy who could play a swingin’ guitar to the rockabilly sounds of Chuck Berry, Elvis Presley, Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis and others. Rockin’ Oliver! is a nostalgic rock ‘n roll musical comedy-drama that celebrates the achievement of the kind and prosperous society that Oliver Twist dreamed of, including an hilarious ghostly visit of Oliver Twist’s workhouse friends. Rockin’ Oliver! comes complete with some great music of the ‘50’s.

The characters, Rockin' Oliver and his younger brother Wesley, are based on young American country singer Billy Gilman and his brother Colin, and also on young British pop singer Declan Galbraith. Billy is a very talented singer who recorded his first CD album recently at age 11, which has sold over 1.5 million copies. Declan is also a very talented singer who was signed to EMI Records at age 9. For more information on Billy Gilman and Declan Galbraith, please refer to the Links page for the sites listed under Sites for current child singing stars.     

LIST OF CHARACTERS IN ORDER OF APPEARANCE (AND COSTUMES)

Oliver Twist (ragged shirt, torn trousers, bare feet)
Mr. Bumble (cape, knee breeches, cocked hat, black buckled shoes, carrying staff)
Dick (ragged shirt, torn trousers, bare feet – later as  ghost - with chains)
John (ragged shirt, torn trousers, bare feet – later as  ghost - with chains)
Sebastian (chimney sweep)  (dirty and sooty, ragged shirt, torn trousers, bare feet – later as ghost - with chains, carrying brush)
Workhouse Boys ( ragged shirt, torn trousers, bare feet – later as ghosts - with chains)
Teacher (1950’s man’s suit, tie, black shoes)
Rockin’ Oliver (Oliver Brownlow) (school uniform – white shirt, school tie, grey shorts, grey socks, red school blazer, red school cap, black shoes. Later – dinner jacket, long black trousers, white shirt, bow tie, black shoes)
Wesley Brownlow (school uniform – white shirt, school tie, grey shorts, grey socks, red school blazer, red school cap, black shoes, black rubber Wellington boots)
Peter Allen and other Clarington House Prep Schoolboys (school uniform – white shirt, school tie, grey shorts, grey socks, red school blazer with white piping, red school cap, black shoes)
Mr. Church, the Choirmaster (1950’s man’s suit, tie, black shoes)
Captain Breen CGM, DSO, RN (R'td), the Headmaster (1950’s man’s suit, tie, black shoes)
Mary (poodle skirt, blouse, bobby socks, low-heel shoes)
The 2 i's Coffee Bar Crowd (men – teddy boy suits, leather jackets, T-shirts, slacks, dark glasses, black shoes; women - poodle skirt, blouse, bobby socks, low-heel shoes)
David Freedman, the Drummer (leather jacket, slacks, T-shirt, black shoes. Later – dinner jacket, long black trousers, white shirt, bow tie, black shoes)
The Artful Bopper (leather jacket, slacks, T-shirt, dark glasses, black shoes. Later – dinner jacket, long black trousers, white shirt, bow tie, black shoes)
Bill Fagin of Fagin Records (1950’s man’s suit, bow tie, black shoes)
Mr. Philip Brownlow (1950’s man’s suit, tie, black shoes, smoking pipe)
Mrs. Jean Brownlow (skirt, blouse, jacket, high-heel shoes, lady’s hat)
Rose the Housekeeper (skirt, blouse, flat shoes)
Charlie the Piano Player (dinner jacket, long black trousers, white shirt, bow tie, black shoes)
“The Twisters” rock ‘n roll band (dinner jackets, long black trousers, white shirts, bow ties, black shoes)
Seth Sykes (teddy boy suit or leather jacket, slacks, T-shirt, black shoes, dark glasses)
Tommy Steele (dinner jacket, long black trousers, white shirt, necktie, black shoes)
The Mayor of the Midlands Town (1950’s man’s suit, tie, black shoes, chain of office)
Midlands Town Summer Fete Crowd (men and women - same as The 2i's Coffee Bar Crowd, also with children – boys – shorts, T-shirts, kneesocks, black or brown shoes or brown sandals; girls – skirts, blouses, ankle socks, shoes or sandals, hair in ponytails)
Patrick Pirie (Australian descendent of one of Fagin’s gang) (shorts, buttoned shirt, bare feet in sandals)
D.I. Jeremy Clouston (Scotland Yard police detective) (1950’s man’s suit, tie, black shoes)
Elizabeth (poodle skirt, blouse, bobby socks, low-heel shoes, hair in ponytail)

To download the entire Rockin' Oliver! novel, please follow this link
(you will need Adobe Acrobat Reader to view this): Novel

To download the stage play script of Rockin' Oliver!, please follow this link
(you will need Adobe Acrobat Reader to view this): Play Script

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http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html


Oliver Twist in the 1830's                                     Oliver Twist's great-great grandson Rockin' Oliver
                                                                                 in his school uniform starting his career in 1956


The ghosts of the workhouse boys


The ghosts of Workhouse boys Dick and John waking up over 100 years later


The Workhouse ghosts


The Brownlow family - Philip, Oliver, Rose (the housekeeper), Jean and Wesley




Rockin' Oliver's new Fender Stractocaster guitar in 1957


The Artful Bopper and the 1950's Teddy Boys crowd

 
Rockin' Oliver's cousin Billy in Canada                            Rockin' Oliver's cousin Patrick in Australia