Oliver!

The subdued lighting and sinister tones of the orchestra during the overture very effectively set the mood for this show. We knew we were in for a dark and brooding production, not a jolly, colourful romp through the poverty of Victorian England in Portsmouth Players’ sparkling production of Lionel Bart’s Oliver!

The great comedian W.C. Fields is credited with the line “Never work with children or animals”. Watching last night, I can understand why – they will steal every scene they are in. The children of the Red Team (on the first night) got the show off to a fine start with Food, Glorious Food. Then, and on every other appearance, they were all very obviously engaged with the action and enjoying every moment of it, with well drilled singing and movement. Casper Horn played Oliver to perfection, being utterly confident with his singing and dialogue and well able to hold his own in his interactions with the adults. Harry Fitzgerald gave us a supremely confident, cheeky and charming Artful Dodger and you could easily understand why Oliver, lost and alone, would follow him back to Fagin’s lair. With the standards displayed here, I am sure the Blue Team of children and the other Oliver (Marley Young) and Dodger (Alexander Evans) will be equally good, wowing the audiences just as much on their nights, with outstanding performances.

Nigel James was every inch the Fagin we would expect to see – tall and slender with the typical long green coat and battered hat. His characterisation was less typical and he gave us a mostly genial, kind and fatherly Fagin, not in any way sinister. His delivery of Pick a Pocket or Two and Reviewing the Situation were masterly, despite descending a little into panto when talking to the violin player in the latter.

Kayleigh Pendry was a spirited, determined and courageous Nancy, really pulling on the heart strings with As Long As He Needs Me and dominating the stage with Oom Pah Pah.  She was well paired with Chris Murray as Bill Sykes, who maintained a brooding presence whenever he was on stage, such that the final, savage murder scene did not seem out of place.

Robert Day and Katherine Guthrie made a good scheming couple as Mr Bumble and Widow Corney and demonstrated a light touch with humour as Bumble rued his marriage to the Widow. Edward Chase and Jaqueline Willis, as Mr and Mrs Sowerberry, gave us a very funny and eccentric pair of undertakers, maybe veering a little too far into Victorian melodrama, but worth it for the fun they brought to the scene where Oliver escapes. Sue Mansbridge and Gerald Paul put their stamp on Mrs Bedwin and Dr Grimwig, despite being on stage only briefly.

The market sellers in Who Will Buy (Jenny Edwards, Kerry Kilgannon, Rachel Dean and Ryan Weeks) deserve a special mention for the quality of their singing – pure, clear and perfectly pitched. A real treat to listen to. And last, but not least, I must praise the English Bull Terrier, Gorgeous George, who played Bullseye. Absolutely perfect in the part, he was so well behaved and did not seem at all fazed by the noise and chaos going on around him.

The wardrobe team and David Birt deserve great praise for kitting out the cast with spot-on costumes and wigs, making this picture of underground life in Victorian times so realistic. The excellent set and props also added greatly to the authenticity of the picture, allowing a flexible and multi-level  performance area, which was managed very slickly by a costumed stage crew. The clever lighting, similarly, added greatly to the sinister atmosphere – although I found it a little too dark at times and there were a few missed cues on the first night, which I’m sure will be ironed out quickly.

The orchestra, under the capable baton of Darren Alderton, produced a sinister and dark mood for the show, becoming bright and brassy for the up-beat numbers (like Oom Pah Pah) and their accompaniment for Reviewing the Situation was particularly beautiful.

Another excellent production that Portsmouth Players can be proud of. Well done everyone involved.

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