Earlier this month, Charlie Hodson-Prior started his role of one of Fagin’s (Simon Lipkin) Gang and Alternate Artful Dodger (Billy Jenkins) in the Cameron Mackintosh and Matthew Bourne revised production of Oliver! at Chichester Festival Theatre. Oliver! is playing in Chichester until September 7th, before transferring to the Gielgud Theatre in London’s West End in December, where Charlie will be reprising his role. Charlie has worked with Cameron Mackintosh previously, having made his professional stage debut in 2022 in the UK & Ireland Tour of Les Misérables as Gavroche. Also having screen experience, this year saw Charlie play Liam Connor in the pyschological thriller series Too Good to Be True alongside Kara Tointon and Allen Leech for Channel 5, and he booked his first professional job playing Bruce Bogtrotter in the film version of Roald Dahl’s Matilda The Musical, and Charlie attended the BFI London Film Festival with the rest of the cast including Alisha Weir (who played Matilda). Answering our questions, Charlie spoke to us about being in the cast of Oliver! at Chichester Festival Theatre, playing one of Fagin’s Gang and being Alternate Artful Dodger in the production, being directed by Matthew Bourne and filming as Bruce Bogtrotter in Roald Dahl’s Matilda The Musical.

You are in the cast of Oliver!, which is running at Chichester Festival Theatre until September, was there anything that drew you to the production and how did you feel finding out you’d booked the role?

I was really excited for the chance to work with Matthew Bourne and the incredible creatives involved and to work with Cameron Mackintosh again. I have always wanted to play the role of Dodger since I began performing, so I was really excited when I found out I was going to be one of the Alternate Dodgers alongside some of my friends.

What are you enjoying most about being part of Fagin’s Gang and working alongside the rest of the cast?

There’s so much talent in the cast, I am learning a lot from the actors I’m working with, and every day is different because they are building the show from scratch. I think it’s going to be an incredible show.

How have you prepared for your role of Alternate Artful Dodger and what is the character like to play?

I’ve had to start learning to play the banjo, which has been a great experience for me as I love music and normally only play the drums. I have been watching Billy Jenkins (who plays the majority of performances) a lot and he has helped me to discover my own version of the role and Billy has shown me some tips and tricks that he’s using to create his incredible version of the Artful Dodger.

How was it rehearsing for Oliver! and being directed and choreographed by Matthew Bourne?

Matthew has such incredible ideas, and he is always trying to find new ways of doing things which is really inspiring, and I feel privileged to be in the rehearsal room with such an amazing director and choreographer.

The show will be transferring to the West End at the Gielgud Theatre in December, what are you looking forward to for taking the show to London?

It will be interesting to see how the show changes in a different venue, especially moving from a thrust stage to a more traditional setting. I’m looking forward to bringing the show to a different audience.

Why would you recommend booking tickets to see this new production of Oliver! at Chichester Festival Theatre?

It’s an amazing show with an amazing cast, and I think this version involves magic, comedy and something you haven’t seen before. It’s a brand new reimagined version of Oliver! and I think it’s a show you will remember for many years to come.

In 2022, you made your professional theatre debut as Gavroche in the UK & Ireland Tour of Les Misérables, how was this?

I loved being on tour, it was great to have the opportunity to perform in multiple different venues. The cast was so talented and so kind to me, I really learnt a lot from that experience about what it’s like to be in a musical and the feeling you get from performing in front of a live audience.

On screen, you played Liam Connor in Channel 5’s psychological thriller series Too Good to Be True alongside Kara Tointon, what was the show like to work on and how did you find the experience on set?

The cast and crew were so fun to work with, it was like I had been welcomed into a family and I got on really well with Kara and Allen (Leech) and the director Megan K. Fox, which helped me to interpret some of the more difficult scenes. I also loved being back in Dublin, it’s one of my favourite places.

What are some of your stand-out memories from your time filming as Bruce Bogtrotter in Roald Dahl’s Matilda The Musical and how was it getting into character?

Bruce was my first professional job, so it was like a dream come true getting to play such an iconic character. I made really strong friendships with the cast and there was so much talent on set, it was one of the best experiences I’ve had so far.

How was it attending the BFI London Film Festival and seeing the fan response to the release?

It was an experience I’ll never forget, it was my first premiere and it was great being able to share it with my family and the friends I had worked with. I knew it was going to be a fantastic film, but seeing the audience’s response to it was something very special.

How did you get into acting and was it something you always wanted to do professionally?

I started dancing first at Glendale Theatre Arts school and I always knew I wanted to perform, the acting was something that just happened naturally. I got involved in local performances and festivals, and it just continued to grow from there.

Do you have any favourite films, TV and theatre shows to watch?

I don’t tend to watch a lot of TV apart from football, but I’m a huge Marvel fan and love all the films in that franchise. I think one of my favourite shows is obviously Les Mis, but I also love Hamilton and School of Rock.

How do you like to spend your time away from performing?

I’m football mad, I play for a team when I’m not working, so training and matches normally take up a lot of my time. I also like skateboarding.

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