Oliver!

Mid Cheshire Musical Theatre Company joined forces with their youth company, Mid Cheshire Youth Theatre, to bring the much-loved ‘Oliver!’ to the Northwich Memorial Court stage. Directed by Lou Steggals, this was very much a traditional staging of the musical. The set looked great, with wooden staircases either side leading to a raised platform. It would have been great to see this used even more throughout, perhaps in Nancy’s death. Other set pieces were brought on to establish other locations. On the whole, scene changes were done relatively quickly. Generally, the direction was good. The youth cast were well rehearsed and knew what they were doing. There were a few moments where the blocking seemed confusing and the audience were searching for characters on stage, particularly in the scenes with Fagin’s gang. Oliver seemed to disappear on stage. There were a few moments of lost lines, but this was probably due to opening night nerves.

The musical director was Marilyn Blank, who led the small band well. The much loved music was played competently throughout, and the cast delivered the songs well.

The choreographer was Jenna Finnigan. Jenna’s choreography was good, suiting the dance ability of the cast. The cast performed the choreography confidently and securely.

Technical elements were generally good throughout. The sound balance between the band and the cast that were miked was good. The lighting design was good throughout. The lighting helped create mood and atmosphere, which helped elevate the production.

Taking on the title role was newcomer Thomas Liney Thomas definitely brought the cute factor, and was a hit with the audience. He has a sweet voice, and delivered ‘Where is Love?’ nicely. Thomas worked well with the rest of the cast, performing well alongside the adult cast.

Michael Shneck took on the famous role of Fagin. Michael definitely looked the part and gave a traditional interpretation of the character – one that the audience would be familiar with. He worked well with the youth cast. There were some nice touches of light and dark to Michael’s portrayal.

Louis McManus did well as the Artful Dodger. There was a good commitment to the character. He was definitely the leader of the gang, and had boundless energy. There was good attack with his songs as well, and he led many a number very well.

Colette Williams played Nancy. She was warm and motherly with the children of Fagin’s gang, as well as showing other sides of her character, particularly when she stood up to Bill.

Michael Corteen was suitably menacing as Bill Sikes. He brought a good physicality to the role, and was an imposing figure on stage. Michael delivered ‘My Name’ well, creating a dark atmosphere, which suited the character well.

Garry Wallis looked like he was loving his role as Mr Bumble. Garry was far too nice in his characterisation. Mr Bumble is a commanding character, and this was lost in Garry’s performance. He worked well with Susan, creating a funny double-act.

Susan Dodd played Widow Corney. This was a good interpretation of the character, and Susan was able to show off different sides of the character. Her rendition of ‘I Shall Scream’ was delivered well and suitably funny.

Joe Moore is a very expressive performer, and took on a number of roles. His Mr Sowerberry was suitably melancholy, as well as adding some comedic moments to his parts.

Sophie Congleton gave a good performance as Mrs Sowerberry. She was stoic and had a no nonsense attitude to anyone else, which suited the character. ‘That’s Your Funeral’ was well performed by Sophie and Joe.

The youth ensemble performed admirably throughout as the workhouse children and Fagin’s gang. They were confident in their choreography and songs, performing them well. A little bit more attack and energy in the numbers would have elevated the performances of the youth ensemble.

There were some nice individual performances from the adult ensemble throughout including Claire Mather-Dodd’s caring Mrs Bedwin, Sam Salisbury’s versatility as Noah Claypole and the humorous Dr Grimwig, and Mike Finnigan’s thoughtful Mr Brownlow. The ensemble added to many scenes, helping to create the right atmosphere. Just be mindful of some of your ad-libs – they didn’t seem in keeping with the time period.

Overall, this was a good production. It was great to see both youth and adults working together on stage and the set was particularly impressive.

A big thank you to everyone at Mid Cheshire Musical Theatre Company for their kind invite and their hospitality.

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