Oliver!

Firstly, I would love to thank everybody at the RWB Memorial Hall and all involved in WBLOS for welcoming me and Debi to the performance this afternoon 27th April 2024. This is my first official visit and review of a show and what a way to start my time with NODA off, Oliver! was my first show I performed as a kid and seeing it today brought back many memories, all of them good.

When entering the hall, we were greeted by very friendly front of house staff who showed us to our seats, which very kindly were padded with cushions, clearly someone has sat in those seats for 2 ½ hours before and realised they could do with some love.

The set was dressed in a white cloth backdrop with holes in it, and a sign which said, ‘God is Love’, which reflects the child workshops at the time having a strong religious input, although what Mr Bumble and Widow Corney do to Oliver is far from religious. The raised areas at the back of the stage were black with brick effect on them, and the brick effect was put on the proscenium arch around the stage, connecting the whole stage together.

Oliver Twist stood out from the beginning. The most comfortable on stage, Oliver brought out the feels from kids and grown-ups alike in the audience, when at times when he was in danger some audience members were shocked and audibly gasped at what was happening. My favourite moment of theirs was the song ‘where is love’, well sung and enunciated, their musicality within the whole show was a highlight and testament to the great talent he has. Congratulations on the performance!

Mr Bumble had a great stage presence and at times made even me feel scared to ask for more food. Their booming voice kept all the kids in check, even the ones in the audience. I noted down several times that the relationship with the overbearing Widow Corney  was well directed and seemed, at times, as if they had been working and married for many, many years.

Mr & Mrs Sowerberry  were very articulate with their words, and along with the costumes and set, led me to believe they were actual funeral directors. My favourite moment of theirs was the drunken behaviour of Mr Sowerberry and the loud and in fitting with the character snort of Mrs Sowerberry. Once again a lovely relationship between the two of you.

Fagin sent me back to my time in my production with the twisted-yet-fatherly relationship with the kids, their stage presence boomed around the cast and audience, ‘be back soon’ was a particularly well-choreographed and performed number with the kids taking the lead from Fagin. Comedic timing was very good with me laughing out loud at points. ‘Reviewing the situation’ has always been a tricky one to sing so you did very well to keep up with all the words.

The Artful Dodger was the cocky, cheeky and sneaky character they were always written to be, building a quick relationship with Oliver, and long standing one with Fagin and leading the song ‘consider yourself’ one of the most well known songs from the musical and doing it so well. The chorus of Fagins gang and workhouse kids all performed enthusiastically and there were some stand out moments from Charley, Bet, Charlotte and Noah were all great supporting roles, having a lot of fun on stage and had great rapport with all of the other cast members. 

Mr & Mrs Brownlow were great characters and made an impact, even though only having their main bulk of stage time in the 2nd Act. Bill Sikes lived up to ‘his name’ and even from the first 3 knocks on the door when coming in scared me from the off. A slight issue I had which I wasn’t sure whether it was an acting choice or a tech issue was the clarity of the words, at some times I had trouble hearing what was being said, but honestly it was scary enough with their crowbar in hand and deep voice making me quake in my boots.

And finally, I saved my favourite to last. Nancy who gave a performance that every director and MD should be proud of. Each song, each scene and every dance was teeming with talent. Emotional acting, motherly figure to all the kids and stand out adult performance were amongst the scribbles I could read from my notes as I was too afraid I would miss something. Both the original and reprise of ‘as long as he needs me’ would have made Jodie Prenger and Samantha Barks proud. A really great performance.

Before I move on, I would like to say well done to all the other cast members that I haven’t mentioned, you all made this performance what it was, and amdram wouldn’t be worth doing without the valued and talented chorus that holds it together. A pat on the back for everyone.

The lighting and sound were altogether good, the microphones were a little hard to hear at times so when Mr Bumble took Oliver around the room we lost the sound at some point. The lighting created ambience and gave the piece some depth at times when it needed it, such as on London bridge.

The band led by the MD (Richard Abrams) were faultless, building tension and emotional moments, without which we couldn’t experience the performances on stage, and the Direction and Choreography (by Kate Northcott) was creative and well thought out for all the diverse needs of the cast. My final point is the element which brought all the above points together, the costumes (by Becky Roberts, Hay Blake and Kate Northcott) were phenomenal, with great colour palettes and period specific costumes.

Overall, well done to all involved and I look forward to your panto next!

PLEASE NOTE:

Any observation made by the reviewer can only be based on what he sees at the performance in question.  The reviewer may have received information in advance of the performance, and it is inevitable that his assessment will be effected by that knowledge.

The N.O.D.A. Representative’s intention is to give an objective critique of the overall production and in particular the performance viewed.  It should be remembered that any review of this nature can only be objective as far as the techniques used during the performance observed.  Any criticisms expressed may not have been valid at other performances, and are only made to encourage higher standards in Amateur Theatre.

It is hoped that the audience’s appreciation of your efforts will have given everyone a lift and encouraged you to greater achievements in the future and that the observations made by the reviewer will prove helpful in improving future productions.

 

 

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