I wonder to what extent the accent issue might be a problem for some of the girls re the acting side of things

Cleo has a London accent, Keisha's from London but mostly sound posh - then we've got Irish and Welsh accents which might be difficult to morph into cockney..

thought Jodie's go at a cockney accent was good, though she's a Northern lass

Does she have to be pre-industrial revolution cockney? London was full of immigrants from the countryside and Ireland at the time.

But the thing is, it says in the book that she's been working for Fagin since she was 6?7 so she'd have grown up in London

So you would have a mix of what went before and lots of Faganese cockney and bits of whoever else she was brought up with ? Which would leave it open for her cockney to be not quite right?

The only accent issue I have is with Gwion - Oliver just isn't welsh.

All the Nancy's can hide their original accents pretty well, though, so they don't bother me so much.

Stop with the anti Welsh ism Please !

Any actor worth their salt can speak in whatever accent they are required to adopt .

I wouldn't pay to see any of these girls as yet . Jessie may be .

pft, I shall not :P

As I said, any of the girls (including my favourite, Sarah, who is from WALES!) can hide it, so I don't mind. But I don't expect a 9 year old kid to skilfully hide their accent! It's not anti-anything, but no-where in any interpretation of Oliver is he Welsh ... tis just fact!

People also don't consider the London accent now isn't the same as it was then, they used to talk more like australians than the cockney accent we recognise today.

True but that would mean the job would be taken by anyone of half a dozen singing Neighbours stars......

I'm certainly not anti-Welsh - I'm welsh myself and grew up in cardiff! My accent has faded now cos of living in England, but when I go back I end up talking like I'm in Gavin and Stacey!

Agreed that adult actors should be able to do any accent (though I think it's an extra challenge in a role that already requires singing and dancing) - but it's a tough call for a child.

I don't think Gwion's accent would matter in a West End production, since if he gets the role, he's featured on television and people would already see him as: Welsh Oliver. There'd be a problem giving a role flat-out but the public going to see the show would know what to expect from him, and he's gaining a large fanbase due to the fact that he's really really Welsh.

Also it may encourage people to travel to the West End from Wales.

Have none of you seen the AMERICANS playing Billie??? Really, really Geordie, as are all the children in the production, and they can't all come from the North East!!

Your'e right, they dont, most of them are northern but there are 2 american boys too, and the Goerdie accent is not easy, but they have a dialect coach.

I have to say, I dont get this "Keisha is posh thing" she is not posh at all, she just speaks well, with clear diction and pronounces her TH's. She sounds like she is from London for sure, but admittedly she isn't cockney, but she can do cockney easy when need be.
It kind of seems to me that when people hear a young black woman, who doesnt necessarily speak street, then they automatically class her as posh, which is stupid, she is not posh in the slightest, she speaks in a similar accent to CLeo, who also speaks well and isn;t cockney but sounds London, and FrAN Speaks well too, but thats odd because I cannot hear any of her Welsh Accent
Maybe I am wrong but I just dont get where this posh thing is coming from.

I don't think the accents will be a major issue with any of the Olivers. Personally I find Gwion's "Welsh Oliver" to be very endeering. I know the story is that Oliver comes from an orphanage somewhere up North, but who's to say the orphanage wasn't in Cardiff?

And with the Nancies, if they don't have the ability to do a cockney accent then they're going to get called up on it. I'm pretty sure it'll be a task at a ater date, probably with Denise helping them. Or someone from Eastenders, so the BBC can have extra publicity.

I agree with this everyone seems to be saying Oliver should be cockney but he never was

Gwion!

I have to agree with many on this thread! I know he's cute and he appears quite a good actor but the accent isn't doing it for me.

If he still plays Oliver it wouldn't bother me that much though!

I'm guessing they would act and put on a cockney accent.

Well that's what i thought but when gwion sang, he sang in a welsh accent!

You're still not getting it OLIVER IS NOT A COCKNEY he is from the Midlands/North and goes to London to seek a better life

Yes, but that still makes him English.

I've not really been watching the show, but just reading through the thread and wanted to put my thoughts across.
No harm intended, at all.

You took the words right out of my mouth! Thank you! All I meant was that just because he was not cockney does not make him welsh. But I haven't anything against Welsh people or their accent okay?

Neither have I, I have a Welsh Auntie after all. I love Wales, actually! But Oliver isn't Welsh, he's English.

I was referring to those who keep saying the Olivers aren't trying to sing with a cockney accent, probably went a little over the top but no-one seemed to get that Oliver was not a cockney, I am not a Gwion fan at all nor Welsh

Lol, Oh right.

Never mind, I know what you mean.

I thought we were talking about the girls.