The transitions are seamless and Michael Fagin's handsome sets slip in and out without fuss.

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The villain of the piece is a Fagin named Wes (Egon Di Mateo).

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Israel's leaders were caricatured as Fagin, Shylock, Pontius Pilate and Hitler on the front pages of newspapers throughout Europe.

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Police described the head of the gang as a "Fagin-type" character who led the group of at least 20 youngsters.

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And Mr. Luhrmann uses Amitabh Bachchan, a legendary star in his native India, to make the Jewish gangster Meyer Wolfshiem a leering Fagin.

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The comedian told the BBC last year that he rediscovered his love for theatre after appearing as Fagin in Sir Cameron Mackintosh's musical.

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Another notable success came in 1948 when he devised the make-up that Alec Guinness used to portray Fagin in David Lean's film of Charles Dickens' Oliver Twist.

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Atkinson's latest project, which had its opening night on Tuesday this week at the Wyndham's Theatre in London, marks his first appearance on stage since he played Fagin in Oliver!

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This Oliver (Barney Clark) looks angelic but stunned, and the menace purveyed by his various nemeses, including Mr. Bumble (Jeremy Swift) and even Fagin (Ben Kingsley), has a mild and manageable air.

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