Oliver!

Alderley and Wilmslow Musical Theatre Company returned to The Evans Theatre this week with their 2019 production of Lionel Bart’s’ Oliver!  Fresh from their great production of Joseph and summer concert, A&WMTC have brought fresh ideas and concepts to this traditional tale.  Director, Heidi Cook, produced the show and set it within it’s traditional time period but breathed life into the script by adding in various contemporary aspects.  One of the biggest things that stood out in this production was the comedic script and subtext.  Heidi’s clever direction enabled scenes to flow and for the audience to be entertained throughout.  The transitions between scenes and songs was very good and the clever use of lighting and music added layers to this production.  The storytelling was good from all, and the majority of the cast were energetic and showed great commitment to character.  I really enjoyed the voices in Bill’s head in his death scene which was new and inventive and showed a different side to this character that I had never seen before.  The scenes at The Claypoles and the Corney/Bumbles’ were joyous to watch and really helped move the story along.  I missed the scene when Oliver was captured for pickpocketing near the end of act one.  This didn’t make full sense for the plot line but overall this production had high production values and was very well received by the fantastic sell out audiences!  The closing silhouette with Dodger and Fagin going into the light looked amazing!

The musical direction was excellent.  Although we didn’t get to see the hard work from the band (they were backstage) I could hear and fully appreciate the score that was played very well.  I felt that Ed did very well to keep the band in rhythm when the child chorus ran away slightly in their songs with their timing.  I also felt that Ed was sympathetic to the actors during solo’s with ralls etc to enable the actors to breathe and tell the story through song.

The choreographer for this production was Kevin David Clarke.  Although I felt there were more opportunities to be inventive with the choreography and bring it more up to date, the choreography was good and apt for the era.  The opening was excellent, and the child chorus were very well drilled.  Although simplistic, the choreography was very effective in the opening scene and started the evening off to a high standard.   

The set and costumes were great and sympathetic to the era.  The set was particularly great and used very well throughout.  I felt that the scene changes were extremely well choreographed and carried out which helped with the overall pace.   The costumes, wigs and make-up helped establish character and tonality. 

The lighting was excellent.  I loved the lighting design and it really helped add layers to each scene.  The lighting was totally contrasting to the scene, but it really worked.  Great use of the haze machine and good use of shadows and gobos to add layers. 

Whilst I appreciate how difficult it must be to sort the sound in a vacuous room that isn’t designed as a theatre space, I was a little underwhelmed with the quality of the sound.  Mic levels, for me, were too high for most of the cast and weren’t adjusted throughout whenever necessary.  For example, there are various scenes when the characters shout (every scene for Bill) but the levels stayed the same.  Saying that, the levels for the band was very goods maybe I’m being overly picky.

The protagonist, Oliver Twist, was played by Oliver Lamont.  Oliver was suitably sweet and innocent and perfect casting.  His rendition of ‘Where Is Love’ was lovely and Oliver was strong throughout – delightful.

The Artful Dodger, Oskar Jackson, lacked the charm and cockney geezer type that we normally see which meant that there were missed comedic moments in the script.  Despite this, Oskar had brilliant projection and confidence which really helped his character.  He also had a great rapport with both Oliver and Fagin.

Rob Haslam gave a very understated performance as Fagin – which kind of worked.  Fagin normally stands out and has various comedic moments that were missed in this production.  This shouldn’t really be taken away from Rob’s performance though as he performed to a high standard and was entertaining throughout.  I just wanted more.  The scene in which he find Oliver starting at his jewels didn’t work at all as it was very loudly shouted which meant that the ‘gang’ would’ve woken up – but this is more of a directional problem.

Nancy was played by Sara Hawley.  Sara displayed some lovely vocals.  Her rendition of ‘As Long As He Needs Me’ was great and Sara had great stage presence.  I loved the rapport that Sara (Nancy) had with ‘Bill’ and you could really tell that this was a long and damaged relationship.  The parts in the script with Dodger didn’t work as well as I’ve seen in the past and I didn’t get much of a relationship between Nancy and Dodger.

Bill Sykes was played by Alex Bingle.  Alex was very commanding and very scary in this role.  It might’ve been nice to see a little more light and shade to this character but Alex gave a fine performance all the same – one of the most commending performances of Bill that I’ve seen in a long while.

Steve Sheppard played Mr Bumble and brought a good air of authority to the character.  Steve had a great rapport with Widow Corney and their scenes were very entertaining to watch.  Steve broke the fourth wall constantly by playing to the audience which was not in keeping with the whole production. 

Tina Spiers was brilliant as Widow Corney.  Entertaining to watch, Tina brought this character to life with an energy and vision that I’ve never seen before (and I’ve seen this show a lot)!  Tina also displayed excellent vocals.  Her energy and commitment to character was outstanding.

Katy Thomason-Stewart also gave a great performance as Mrs Sowerberry and equally found humour in the script not often seen.  The Claypoles scenes were delightful and really stood out in the first half.

Mr Claypole (and Dr Grimwig) was played by Bradley Snelling.  I found Bradley’s character interpretation very interesting and I couldn’t take my eyes off him!  I loved the physicality he brought to this character with the shoulder haunch and limp, but it was delivered in a way that wasn’t set up for laughs, merely a character trait – excellent!

All of the other supporting cast did well to enhance the story and to convey character.  Some struggled more than others but overall the storytelling was clear.  Overall, the ensemble were used well throughout, particularly in the second act in the bar and general London scenes.  I’ve heard this company showcase their excellent vocals in their recent summer concert, but this didn’t quite come across in this production.  Perhaps it was the lack of mics or a choice not to add harmonies in various songs?  As productions of this musical go, this one was thoroughly entertaining to watch with fresh ideas and concepts as well as bring this script to life with aplomb.  It was also very well received from their audiences.  I heard lots of the audience say positive things about this production both during the interval and at the end of the show.  Another little trait that I loved were the posters and pieces of old set that were displayed in the corridor as you walked into the theatre.  This helped set the tone and gave the audience a feel for the show before entering the theatre space.

I thank A&WMTC for their lovely hospitality and wish them all the very best for their next production of Little Shop of Horrors!

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