A cute dog, a cockatiel, 120 talented students, a fantastic set and a programme of well-loved songs proved to be all the right ingredients for a stellar musical production.

Ormiston Sudbury Academy’s performances of Oliver! staged from Wednesday to Friday last week, were a sell-out from the off and the audiences over three nights were not left disappointed. In the role of Oliver, 13-year-old Corey Willings shone in his debut performance, but the star of the show was undoubtedly Darrell Barnard-Jones, 16, as Fagin.

For many of the students it was their first major role in a school production including Adam Wicks, ably portraying the humorous side of the Artful Dodger’s character, and Sadie Napier giving her all as Nancy. And it wasn’t just the two-legged thespians who triumphed. This year after the success of using a real dog in last season’s show, The Wiz, another canine star, Taz, was scouted to play the role of Bullseye. There was also a bonus for animal lovers in the form of Ziggy the Cockatiel.

Director, Leo Cox said: “I am extremely proud of all of the cast and crew. I hope that the 1,200 people who saw the show had a ball and that they ‘considered themselves’ lucky to have secured a ticket!”