Oliver!

Acton Amateur Operatic Society were back at the Crewe Lyceum with their production of the family favourite, ‘Oliver!, which was directed by Debbie Cornock. Set traditionally, with two staircases upstage leading to a bridge. This allowed Debbie to play with different levels, such as the board of gentlemen on the bridge during ‘Food Glorious Food’, looking down on the children. Other trucks and furniture were brought on quickly and efficiently, sometimes during scenes as the audience’s focus was elsewhere. This allowed for quick transitions and a well-paced production. There were some great directorial choices from Debbie, including the inclusion of Mr Sowerberry in The Three Cripples during ‘Oom Pah Pah’. A small moment that may have been missed by the audience, but one that was appreciated. Having some of the workhouse children enter through the auditorium was a nice choice too, allowing the audience to become immersed in the production. Relationships between characters were well drawn out and believable. Costumes for the production were traditional, and looked really good, instantly transporting the audience to Victorian London. Costumes were used to differentiate between the different social classes.

Adam Whitehead, Emily Wycherley and Gemma O’Donnell were the musical directors for this production. The cast performed to backing tracks and did extremely well with this. There were strong vocals throughout, with the ensemble numbers being good and strong. There were some nice harmonies in these ensemble numbers.

Faye Thompson-Butt was the choreographer for this production. The cast attacked the choreography and performed it very well throughout. The young performers performed their chorography well, especially in ‘Food Glorious Food’ and ‘I’d Do Anything’, which was a lot of fun.

Technical elements were very good throughout. The sound balance between the cast and the backing tracks was very good and every word could be heard. There was one moment in the second act where Old Sally’s mic didn’t come on, which resulted in quite an important plot detail being unfortunately missed. The lighting design was good throughout, helping to create atmosphere throughout. The lighting also helped draw the audience’s attention to certain parts of the stage whilst scene changes were taking place.

Playing the title role during this performance was Freddie Barlow. Freddie displayed great confidence despite his young age. He portrayed the innocence of the character well, and his rendition of ‘Where is Love?’ was suitably sweet and nicely performed by Freddie. Well done Freddie!

Alec Sweeting had the charisma and bravado needed as the Artful Dodger. He had boundless energy and led the ensemble well in his numbers. He created a believable friendship with Freddie’s Oliver. Alec had a great presence on stage and gave an engaging performance.

The young ensemble played the workhouse children and Fagin’s gang. They were full of confidence and knew exactly what they were doing throughout. They were engaged with the story being told.

Adam Goode played the iconic role of Fagin. Adam fully embodied Fagin, and gave a strong performance. He was able to shift from the caring side to the threatening side of the character with ease. ‘Reviewing the Situation’ was well performed, with Adam injecting humour into the number. This was an engaging performance of a classic character.

Emily AcAvoy shone as Nancy. She worked well with the young performers, and was full of life and laughter. There was a marked contrast with her relationship with Bill, where she became fearful. Emily’s vocals were strong throughout, and her delivery of ‘As Long as He Needs Me’ was full of emotion. This was a particular standout of the production, as Emily commanded the stage. Anabelle Nolan worked well with Emily as Bet, and provided good support as Nancy’s best friend.

Levi Rhodes McKenzie played Bill Sikes. Levi was suitably menacing and broody as Bill, with a gruff voice. He used his presence well to intimidate other characters. He created a dominating relationship with Nancy.  It was nice to see Bullseye, played by Patch, appear in a couple of scenes.

Lewis Thompson and Claire Thompson created a good, comedic double act as Mr Bumble and Widow Corney. ‘I Shall Scream’ was a funny number, which was performed well by Lewis and Claire.

Simon Dean and Mary Bolide created a good partnership as Mr Sowerberry and Mrs Sowerberry. Simon was simply macabre, and his drunken scenes were done well. Mary was suitably shrill, as she bossed everyone around. They were supported by Ellen Smith (Charlotte) and Richard Senior (Noah Claypole) in the funeral parlour, who worked well together and created two dastardly characters.

Kevin Whitfield gave a gentle and kind Mr Brownlow, as he fought to find the truth about Oliver. Rachel Willis was suitably caring and motherly towards Oliver as Mrs Bedwin. Joe Moore was able to get the laughs as the bumbling Dr Grimwig. Heidi Bradney was suitably melodramatic as Old Sally in her death scene.

The ensemble was good throughout, and were engaged with the action that was happening on stage. They added greatly to the crowd scenes. They added the rowdiness needed in ‘Oom Pah Pah’, and the hustle and bustle in ‘Consider Yourself’. Pairing up the Milkmaids, Strawberry Sellers and Knife-Grinders was a clever choice, allowing the vocals to be bolstered. ‘Who Will Buy?’ was a strong ensemble number.

Overall, this was a very good production. There were some strong principal performances, a well-drilled youth ensemble, and some sound direction.

A big thank you to everyone at Acton Amateur Operatic Society for their kind invite.

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