Oliver!

Swanage Musical Theatre Company came up trumps with their spring production of ‘Oliver!’ in the capable hands of Director Brenda Ridout and Musical Director Angus Murray-Brown.  With an open stage fittingly set in brick and metal, and a lovely backdrop of St Paul’s Cathedral (beautifully lit by Thomas Curtis), we were instantly transported to industrial Victorian London, a perfect setting for the Overture.

The orphans sang ‘Food Glorious Food’ energetically and expressively, but were they really hungry?  Oliver has been raised in the workhouse, and when he dares to ask for more food, he incurs the wrath of Bumble the Beadle and his assistant, Widow Corney.  Mike Hill was an imposing Beadle, powerfully singing ‘Boy for Sale’, and I would have liked his first appearance at the railings to be menacing rather than a little tentative.  To complete the impression of gothic characters at the orphanage, Widow Corney’s ‘I Shall Scream’ was suitably comic and shrill.
The Beadle sells Oliver to Sowerberry, (Michael Peden), the clever undertaker with a good eye for business, very much hen-pecked by his shrewish wife (Pat Jones), who enjoyed a clear sense of power.  Sowerberry employs Oliver as an undertaker’s mute, to lead the many funeral processions of children, introducing him to the work with Mrs Sowerberry in a macabre rendition of ‘That’s Your Funeral’.  The Sowerberrys made a very well-matched couple.  Gabriel Christmas as Oliver has a voice which was touchingly sweet and true as he sang ‘Where is Love’ in the dark and dingy coffin-shop. Noah Claypole was strongly played by Danny Seldon, who burst angrily onto the scene both vocally and physically, so that he was easily identified as a jealous rival in the undertaker’s household.   The ensuing fight between Oliver and Claypole was very lively and entertaining, as they tussled in the coffin shop, until Oliver runs away to London.

Having escaped from the Sowerberrys, Oliver falls under the influence of the Artful Dodger and friends, who lure him to Fagin’s den, with a lively rendition of ‘Consider Yourself One of Us’; the chorus of lively and expressive youngsters brought plenty of energy to the dance, and with bags of character from some.  Some ladies in the chorus lacked conviction as they appeared onstage, but soon grew in confidence: be bold.  Fagin’s Gang introduced Oliver to his duties in a lively and entertaining ‘You’ve Got to Pick a Pocket or Two’, and although a little unsure of the words at times, they carried it off. 

Fagin was played by Brian Travers in the best performance I have seen from him: he was strong, sang well, and played the miserly elements with relish, working well with the young cast.  Nancy (Catherine Attridge) made a good first impression with ‘It’s a Fine Life’ and in ‘I’d Do Anything’ with Bet (Miro Vosper) they presented a pretty and lively duo, with particularly good singing, well- supported by the company.  Nancy’s voice might be a little kinder and a little less harsh, especially in the more tender moments of her songs.  Oliver is taken into London by The
Artful Dodger and is first arrested by police, then taken in by Mr Brownlow, who sees a similarity between Oliver and his own family. The ensemble performance of ‘Be Back Soon’, with its very appealing young pickpocket, heralded the interval on a cheerful and positive note.
Nancy leads the opening of the second half with a rousing ‘Oom-pah-pah’, at the pub, a performance guaranteed to take us straight back into the action, although on Friday the sound system was rather loud and harsh.  We meet Bill Sykes, Nancy’s sweetheart and Fagin’s erstwhile sidekick, extremely well-performed by Adrian Lane; as an ugly character with a voice to match, his was a sinister and threatening presence throughout.  Manon Memmi-Weir’s interpretation of Dodger was perhaps less out-going than most, her singing tuneful and a touch wistful.  Nancy was tearful in ‘As Long as He Needs Me’, a nice emotional touch.
Oliver sings ‘Who Will Buy?’ beautifully, as the street-traders pass by, embellished with a very attractive ballet sequence.  Alan Aldridge played a very gentle, kindly Brownlow.  Whilst ‘Reviewing the Situation’, Fagin delighted us with his very amusing violin-in-a-box stunt, accompanied by some lovely violin-playing by Barbel Glaser.  Through various twists and turns of the plot, Oliver is re-captured by Sykes and Nancy promises to return him to Mr Brownlow, but in a very strong scene on London Bridge, there was a complete change of mood as the company shared their horror at Nancy’s murder, a clear feeling of resolution as Bill Sykes met his end, and Oliver was finally adopted by his uncle, Mr Brownlow.

This was a very good show from Swanage MTC, in which the audience shared the horrors and delights as Oliver made his way through Dickens’ London.  With strong characterisation, a clear sense of the story and very attractive staging, this was a performance which everyone could enjoy.  The set contributed a great deal to the atmosphere, the lanterns of London Bridge were a nice touch, and it provided perfect staging for a strong finale.  The band was very good indeed and the violin-playing was particularly lovely.

One or two suggestions for the future:  take care not to lose power in the voice at the end of the line when being menacing, as it makes the final words difficult to hear and diminishes the effect; chorus ladies and gentlemen be positive as you appear on the stage; radio-mics were not always up on time; don’t assume that speaking or singing in character necessarily requires shouting or harshness.

Congratulations to you all on a most enjoyable production.

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