Writer and Director: Steve Furst
If you thought you knew Fagin, think again. This entertaining solo show is a deep dive through the character from Charles Dickens to the West End Musical, through a theatrical character study that uplifts and inspires. Steve Furst has a natural comic ability, honed through his career of work that’s included Little Britain, and his brilliant comic creation Lenny Beige.
Fagin: Hero or Villain? is an encyclopedic adventure through the literary, stage and film character of Fagin, from Dickens’ detailed invention and often questionable levels of antisemitism, through to Lionel Bart’s musical version of Oliver!, and the contrast between Fagin’s optimistic ending in the musical versus his more pessimistic ending in the cinema.
There’s a colourful set, bedecked with the handkerchiefs so valuable to the pickpockets of Fagin’s era, strung across the back of the stage, along with shawls. There’s a sense of both the contained cave where you might imagine Fagin and the boys, his pickpockets, and at the same time a theatrical brightness.
It opens with a number from Oliver!, delivered brilliantly. Furst’s costume is great, with the long coat, the slightly muddied face, the hat, and this is a great backdrop to frame real engagement with the audience, a blend of cabaret, comedy and theatricality. Furst’s vocal range throughout the two-hour play is a display of excellent stagecraft, split into two halves, with no faltering, no weakening, just great vocal strength from beginning to end.
The evening is described as “a brand new immersive character study,” and it blends storytelling, cabaret comedy and lecture demonstration. It’s very interesting regardless of an audience’s ethnic background, even more so for Jewish audiences, with the academic analysis running through it.
One of the memorable elements is how, in naming Fagin, Dickens simply used the epithet “the Jew.” As one quote in the play puts it: “Dickens was peddling a myth that has poisoned the psyche of the western world.” We think of Fagin as “you’ve got to pick a pocket or two” — such a fun, catchy tune – but this is the chilling, shocking undercurrent beneath it.
There’s also brilliant storytelling in how Ron Moody defined the role of Fagin, and Fagin defined the career of Ron Moody – a stark contrast between Fagin of the stage and Fagin “the Jew” of Dickens’ novel. Throughout, it’s fascinating how Furst blends his own background as a Jewish practitioner and cabaret-experienced comedian into the role.
Reviewed on 14 July 2026 and continues to tour, returning to the Circle & Star in December
