Oliver

~~Bridgnorth MTC’s production of the great family classic “Oliver” was on the whole a great night’s entertainment. It was a bright and lively opening with the children of the company in fine form, lighting the way with the spectacular opening number “Food Glorious Food”.
The lead role of “Oliver” was split between Kate Woodman and George Westley-Smith and on this occasion it was George who played the innocent orphan who’s sold by Mr Bumble to an undertaker’s family only to find he’s further mistreated and decides to escape his trappings and head to London. George gave a nice rendition of “Where is Love” which was sung with just the right amount of sentiment and with very clear diction.
There were some good performances from Adam Wheeler as the pompus “Mr Bumble” and Barbara Devey as the loveable “Widow Corney” who add some nice comic moments.
Emma Burrow’s portrayal of “Nancy” is spot on with her powerful presence and powerful voice commanding the stage, especially in “As long as he needs me”. 
Jez Mann is a fine menacing “Bill Sykes” and makes a powerful entrance singing “My Name”.
William Ross plays the crafty Cockney “The Artful Dodger” who takes Oliver under his wing only to immerse him into the dark side of organised crime by introducing him to Fagin.
But for me centre stage belonged to the evergreen Peter Morris as the villainous “Fagin” ploughing his wealth of experience into giving us the perfect character which was particularly obvious in his final number “Reviewing the Situation”.
Other good supporting roles came from Michael Payne as “Mr Sowerberry”, Barbara Preece as “Mrs Sowerberry”, Jess Knowles as “Charlotte” and Ashley Sharpe as the bully “Noah Claypole”  Ashley plays the role with an assured maturity way beyond his years, Nice one Ashley!
Bridgnorth MTC never ceases to amaze me with the way the Stage crew convert the sports hall into a full working theatre and this year was no different. The set stage set looked amazing and director Mike James takes full advantage. The professional orchestra under the direction of John Biddulph sounded amazing although due to their positioning in front of the stage, did sometimes create a distraction from the action on stage.
A packed Thursday night audience certainly enjoyed the evening as much as I did and showed their appreciation with a well deserved standing ovation.
 

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