Oliver

Oliver! based on Dickens's Oliver Twist was a huge hit from its beginning in 1960, becoming the first modern British musical to be transferred successfully to Broadway and after successful long runs it was made into a film in 1968.

Oliver Twist is a young boy who lives in a workhouse and is sold to a local undertaker and his family. They treat Oliver horribly, he escapes and runs off where he meets The Artful Dodger, Fagin and his gang. After being caught pickpocketing, Oliver’s life takes many twists and turns including moving into a life of luxury and being snatched back to work with Fagin and Bill Sykes.

The opening number of “Food Glorious Food” set the tempo for the show well, this was our first look at the children’s chorus who didn’t disappoint throughout the show. They all worked hard and looked like they were having fun especially in “Pick a pocket or two”.

Colin Smith performed well in the role of Mr Bumble and Andrea Jones turned in a great performance as the cheeky Widow Corney capturing you every time she was on stage. They brought a warmth to their parts being both believable and fun. I did like the Sowerberry’s there was good characterisation from both James Partington (Mr Sowerberry) and Kelly White who, as she should, came across as his over bearing and unreasonable wife. The younger performers in the undertaker scene (Wes Oultram as Noah and Coral Smith as Charlotte) also gave great performances alongside the more experienced members of the cast

I was worried when I saw that the part of Dodger was to be played by a girl but I shouldn’t have been, as I really enjoyed the performance given by Catrin Jones as the know it all, cheeky Artful Dodger. Her performance of ‘Consider Yourself’ was super and she had boundless energy throughout. On a casting note it was a shame you didn’t have someone for this role who was aligned to the other children as Dodger did look a lot older than all the other children and taller than some of the adult chorus.

Oliver was played by Matthew Betteridge and his sweetness of character was equally matched by the sweetness of his singing. He showed a great mixture of vulnerability, with a very touching ‘Where is Love’, and then the feistiness to fight off Noah Claypole and the Sowerberry’s, well done.

Both Nancy (Lorna McAvoy) and Bet (Shara Blanchard) were well played and they worked well with Fagin’s Gang in “I’d do anything”.  Lorna also gave good renditions of the outgoing numbers ‘Oom Pah Pah’ and ‘It’s a Fine Life’.

Phil Murray was a suitably evil Bill Sykes who came across as threatening and scary. I would have liked to see Bullseye his dog as it adds to the character of Sikes and is referenced several times through the script.

The supporting roles of Mr. Brownlow (Ian Baines), Mrs. Bewdin (Sandra Cooper),  and the bumbling Dr Grimwig all contributed well to the overall piece.

The musical numbers had simple but effective choreography by Alison Whyatt. Musical Director, Arnold Ashbrook kept the pace going throughout and together they produced some very entertaining songs.   Lynn Pegler as Director has captured lots of the warm and humor that is sometimes missing in Oliver using the minimal staging to good effect. Although towards the end of the production it did seem a little rushed and the tension and dramatic effect around the death of Sikes was lost.

For me the role of Fagin is one of the most difficult to get right with its mixture of comedy, pathos, anxiety and caring but all these attributes where shown by Neil Silcock. He had the ability to command the stage and pull you into his own little world, even when in the background, such as in The Three Cripples, his ability to act and react when not in focus was superb. All his numbers were fantastic working well with his gang of youngsters. I especially like the pacing and ebb and flow of    “Reviewing the situation”. A standout performance in a very good show.

What a great night’s entertainment and a show of which Kingsley Players should be proud. Thank you for your welcome and hospitality and we look forward to seeing again.

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