Oliver!

Oliver! Is a well known musical and I did go in confident in my expectations of what I was going to see. Mossley AODS changed things up from the start by having an open stage and also performing in the round. It was a very clever move by Director Samantha Griffiths as it allows the audience to feel they are completely within the action.

The sets hired in from Proscenium Theatricals gave an authentic backdrop for the actors to work with, the different height levels on the stage (the bridge) gave good depth and interest both visually and from a choreographical view. Oliver! Is fairly prop heavy and each prop was handled very confidently by the actor as if it were just an extension of themselves . The orchestra conducted by Paul Firth were in the midst of all the action, steps were positioned through the middle of them to enable the cast to get to the "round". It did mean that for some of the musical numbers the cast couldn't always see Paul but this did not faze them - they all kept together beautifully, no racing and knew exactly what they were doing. Pace throughout the show was good and balanced and at no point did the orchestra sound louder than the vocals. Lighting was interesting and atmospheric, I particularly liked how Nancy (Felicity Pretsell) was lit during the reprise of " As Long As He Needs Me", it gave extra drama to the already heart wrenching song.

The ensemble have to work hard during this show, energy is high, pace quite fast moving and being that close to the audience there is no room for rest or giving less than 100% performance. The choreography by Katherine Farrow, assisted by Jane Wood was well thought out, fresh, well taught and had obviously been well practised, each move executed was finished to the finger tip or toe point, heads were up, faces were engaging and animated and definitely not frowning in concentration. I was pleased to see so many pairs of actual dance shoes and dance boots and not just pumps or street trainers - with choreography like that you need the ability for the bend and flex, it really does make a difference. I loved the numbers where most of the company were involved, there was action, it was exciting, timings and vocals were good - it looked effortless. Well Done!
Callum Beswick took on the role of Oliver, at times it was a little difficult to hear just what he was saying but he delivered a good performance, he was confident in his singing and faced the audience well. The onstage chemistry between him and Jake Ashworth (Artful Dodger) was evident, Jake moved about the stage with ease and confidence, his delivery of a cockney accent was clear both in dialogue and vocals. Mr Bumble (Rob Haslam) and Mrs Corney ( Sarah Thewliss) both gave fully rounded characterisations. It was strange and different at first  to hear Mrs Corney as a Yorkshire woman instead of the shrill cockney accent which is usually presented . Their rendition of " I Shall Scream" was very enjoyable, they both played to each other and the audience beautifully.

Mat Hepplestone as Mr Sowerberry completely stole his scene with his larger than life characterisation, he was perfectly cast with Kimberley Bates (Mrs  Sowerberry) to balance his "oddness"" onstage. They gave a very spirited performance of " That's Your Funeral" and appeared to thoroughly enjoy themselves within character. Felicity Pretsell (Nancy) and Katherine Farrow (Bet) showed us the softer, more maternal sides of the working girl. They were both very strong and confident in "I'd Do Anything" and were very happy to be up close with their audience - they both gave some great reactions and thought pauses. Felicity's performance of "As Long As He Needs Me" was flawless. She showed great vulnerability, solid range, strong belt and control, she opened her heart to us. She was a good character contrast to Bill Sykes (Nick Ward), his characterisation pulled us toward the darker, troubled side. His character was aggressive, shouty, intense and had an air of unpredictability about him. He used the stage well and moved with purpose, personally I would have liked to see a slightly more sinister volatile side to him but I am very aware that there are children in the cast and in the audience and so he can't fully be presented as the stuff that nightmares are made of and as I said this is only a personal viewpoint. 

Fagin (Jack Knight) was every inch the loveable rogue, his idiosyncratic twitches and tongue clacks helped solidify his characterisation and added depth. His diction, projection and use of the stage space and props were good, his scenes with his gang were fast paced and moving, he also allowed us insight to his softer side.

Costumes throughout were very fitting to the piece, I loved the attention to details in all the female cast membershardo's, they enhanced the visual beautifully. It is always a worry using a live dog on stage, but Earl Hewitt as Bull's-Eye behaved impeccably and coped very well with the bangs and clapping around him.

Well Done, Mossley AODS. I thoroughly enjoyed your performance. Thank you for your fabulous hospitality, I look forward to seeing you all again very soon.
 

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