Oliver!

The story of 'Oliver Twist' takes us on a journey with a young orphan boy. The emotional tale takes us from a horrific workhouse, to a life of crime on the streets of London, until he gets caught. Along the way Oliver meets many different people, some who have his best interests at heart, while others use him for their own self gain. In the end Oliver gets a happy ending, but the journey is not easy due to a hard start to life and then getting intertwined with the wrong crowd. The musical of this traditional Charles Dickens novel is written by Lionel Bart.

Clitheroe Parish Church Amateur Operatic and Dramatic Society once again performed their annual musical to sold out audiences all week. On the final show, when we were invited to this production it was easy to see why there was not one empty seat. From beginning to end the show was filled with fabulous interpretations of a classic script, which really captivated the audience and enthralled people until the final curtain closed. The start of the show seemed to have a slight lack of energy and pace. Once the adults took to the stage, with their first full chorus number, this lifted the show and from then on it seemed have more energy and moved at a better pace. The start of Act 2 saw cast members slowly filling the stage in silence, this was a powerful and brave statement and worked well.

The show was well cast with a good variety of ages and also a good balance of men and women. This helped to bring a true community feel to the production, which is what the show needs,  as it is mainly set in central London. It is extremely nice to see all of the youth members on stage and also the way an adult society has welcomed children,  openly into their group for this production. It is never an easy thing to do, but from the look of it, the adults have enjoyed working with the younger members as well as the other way round.

The set which was completely constructed by the society themselves was sturdy. It was also well painted and the design was well thought out. It had the ability to be adapted during the range scenes to give a feel of a variety of different locations. The clever use of stage areas also helped to give the impression of a different locations. The use of props  was effective and they were of good quality. There were a few missed sound cues and a couple of missed lines, but overall this did not detract from the overall show. The diction of the cast was good, being able to hear every word in both songs and dialogue. The lighting was well designed and complimented what was going on, on stage. With the use of colours to reflect emotion and also the use of highlight spots in certain scenes had the desired effect.

The orchestra sounded fabulous with an excellent balance between cast, vocals and instruments. The quality of singing was good right the way through. It was a highlight every time the full chorus was on stage, as the sound they created was excellent, with some very good harmonies.

With the choreography and dancing we were once again amazed how this society is able to get the amount of people on a relatively small stage, all moving in time and with ease. This must have taken a lot of careful consideration and planning. In some shows dancing is just used to fill scene changes and happens purely because there is music playing. In this production the use of dance was used to its full effect and added to the overall feel of the show. Each section enhanced the story and helped to put across the emotions which were being portrayed. The orphans routines were simple and effective while others were used to show how talented the societies cast are. The interesting way in which ‘Who Will Buy’ was set with a ballet quartette, was different and truley added to the number.

Our favourite section of the show was ‘Consider Yourself at Home’. This was the first time we got to see the adult chorus in full swing. The lovely choreography and well sung lyrics really captured the essence of this song and everybody really did give Oliver the warm welcome to London that this intends to do.

Clitheroe Parish Church AODS have once again not disappointed, with what was a most entertaining show. The dedication of the production team, cast and all other society members shines through within the societies productions. Everybody involved should be really pleased of what they have been able to achieve. The society should also be proud of creating everlasting memories for its members and especially the younger boys, which were involved this year. We would like to thank the society for their kind hospitality and also wish them well for their play later this year.

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