Oliver!

This was an impressive staging of Lionel Bart`s Musical adaptation of the Charles Dickens classic, Oliver Twist. As soon as the excellent  band, under the baton on MD Marie Collins began to play, we knew we were in for a real treat.

From the workhouse opening scene the stage was soon illuminated by the great characters, cheeky faces and infectious enthusiasm of an extremely well-rehearsed, lively bunch of youngsters who were going to give us entertainment as pleading “Food Glorious Food” orphans and trainee pick pocketing villains.  In the performance we saw, it was Team “Hot Sausage & Mustard”, but I’m sure Team “Cold Jelly & Custard” were equally as entertaining.

 The lad who “wanted more”, young Oliver, sang perfectly and tugged on our heartstrings with “Where is Love”.  Jacob Troake gave a confident performance and really won our hearts.  He was perfect in this role.

Libby Megson however proved less than cuddlesome as widow Corney, romantically pursued by a very devious Mr Bumble played by Rick Hyland. In this production the director brought out a different side to both of these characters that I’ve not seen played before, and for me it gave an extremely interesting depth to the characters.   

The undertaker and his dominant wife Mr and Mrs Sowerberry were ghoulishly played by Billy Briar Sharps and Shirley Broadbent, with Charlotte, their obnoxious daughter being played by Ceri Owen.  The bully boy Noah Claypole was played by Oliver Burnett.  The funeral parlour scene was an area of macabre fun and I loved that the ensemble were part of this scene.  It really added a new depth to the number “That’s Your Funeral”.

Befriending the runaway Oliver was the Artful Dodger, ably played by Alice Megson from Team “Hot Sausage and Mustard”, a real “cockney sparrer”, light footed and light fingered who teaches Oliver his wrongful ways.

Julian Freeman was outstanding as the loveable villain Fagin. His interaction with his “gang” was excellent.  His numbers “Pick a Pocket or Two”, and “Be Back Soon” were excellently delivered with such crisp clarity and a deft touch of humour.

Lucy Evans was just brilliant as the tragic Nancy.  She played the part with so much emotion, conviction and sensitivity and brilliantly sang the hit number “As Long As He Needs Me” to make a heart touching highlight.  I don’t think there was a dry eye in the house!  Ellie Sykes as Bet gave great support as her young friend and she had a fabulous singing voice which was well heard in “It’s a Fine Life” and “I’d Do Anything” alongside Lucy as Nancy.

Tobias Garbutt was mean and evil as the sinister Bill Sikes.  His quiet presence on the stage then erupted into some very menacing scenes.  He gave an extremely dramatic performance and the fight scene leading to Nancy’s demise was excellently played out.

There was great support from other cast members – Dave Collins as Mr Brownlow, Sharron Knott as Mrs Bedwin and Luke Armitage as Dr Grimwig. Other minor roles were played with great enthusiasm and expertise and added to the overall production.

With a small, extremely well-rehearsed ensemble this was a bright, cheerful and fast moving production with well-choreographed production numbers by Kim Grillo and, under the baton of Marie Collins and an excellent band the Lionel Bart score was as fresh as ever. The chorus numbers were a joy to watch and I particularly loved the “Who Will Buy” number.

Director Nigel Passey is to be congratulated on bringing this production to fruition. His vision was a much “darker” version of the production than I have seen played before, but it worked and you really understood a different side to some of the characters.

The excellent staging was a highlight of the show – excellent set build (Andy Grace, Tom Hughes & Adam Hustwitt) which meant very few scene changes. A special mention for the imaginative and atmospheric lighting (CS Lighting) and the use of dry ice.  I also liked the way the auditorium was used by the company throughout the production – it meant the audience felt really included.

This production was such a treat and is fully deserving of all the acclaim it has received.  Congratulations to everyone involved – cast, crew, production. 

 

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