Oliver!

There are many chorus numbers in Oliver! that are at their best when the singing and dancing is full of energy and performed at a good pace.  This production had energy aplenty and the exciting pace never dropped.  The dancing was interesting and great fun.  Oom-Pah-Pah was danced and sung with enthusiasm and was most invigorating.  TOADS is fortunate that its dancers are in the younger age bracket. The stage was set so that the cast could undertake the scene changes as part of the action and so no blackouts were employed.  This helped greatly to maintain the flow, ensuring the audience's attention did not waver.

The adult cast was strong with most of them having had years of experience to draw on and this showed in the way they had taken on their characters and brought them to life.  Some, I understand, are new to musical theatre but that was in no way apparent.  

Oliver! needs young actors and this production had an abundance of children.    The actor playing Oliver was just seven years old and possessed great confidence and a strong voice to match.  He had clearly worked hard, remembering his words and moves with apparent ease.  The young man playing The Artful Dodger was making his stage debut with TOADS, he fitted the role most confidently.  We will surely be seeing more of him in the future.  The girls and boys of the workhouse and Fagin's Gang were also younger than is usual.  They too had been well-drilled and are to be applauded on the excellent way they portrayed their characters.   This junior cast was impressive and the experience will have, for many of them, settled them into a hobby that will last a lifetime.  

Murray is very familiar with the role of Bullseye and well used to the stage, coping well with the many steps and behaving beautifully, except when he decided to lie down.  He is a big dog to persuade that its time to move but the actors managed it.

The music was a joy to listen to and moved at a good pace.  There are so many well-known songs for the audience to enjoy, the strong choruses, the haunting solos and the comedy numbers.  "Where is Love" and "As Long as He Needs Me" brought a tear to the eye and  "Who Will Buy" was a great opportunity to hear some lovely voices. 

  The costumes were good, well chosen and attractive.  Oliver's suit worn when at his grandfather's home was particularly enchanting, bringing a murmured  "Ah" from the audience.

 The lighting was most effective for the many varied settings.   Fagin's Den appeared suitably dingy and in the final scene London Bridge was very gloomy with a menacing feel.  The sound balance was good allowing the band and singing to be enjoyed, although at times Oliver might have been just a tad over-amplified.

This was a most entertaining production much enjoyed by the enthusiastic audience.

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