Oliver!

I just have to start with Alex Marriott taking the part of Oliver on the evening I saw the show. I think he melted everyone's heart with his "Where is love?" -  beautifully sung and very good diction. His acting was amazing, keeping in character all the time. Zac Kaye played the very cheeky Artful Dodger and together with Fagin's Gang made the most of their musical numbers. Ed Hodd gave a good portrayal of Fagin - not an easy character to portray, particularly as most of his singing and acting is done with the children and you know what they say "never act with children or animals!" Andrea Ryder's interpretation of Nancy's song "As Long as He Needs Me" was a show-stopper. Tommy Jones certainly acted and sang the part of Bill Sykes with great conviction. All the other parts were played with excellent characterisation and good singing.

Well done to Mark Cunningham on his first production for Dronfield - he also took the part of Mr. Bumble. Not easy with such a large cast on a small stage. The orchestra played very well under the direction of Judith Pendlebury - I thought Melissa Doody's violin solo in Fagin's "Reviewing the Situation" was excellent. Congratulations to Cara Chester  for her scenic design, which worked very well and her London backcloth was amazing.  I also thought that the lighting was very good. Stella Wood had put a lot of work into the various properties.

An excellent evening of Community Theatre - keep up the good work.  Pleased to see that the show was almost a sell-out!   

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