Oliver!

I was immediately struck by the excellent set and sound effect of the rain, which was extremely atmospheric and created the feel of the dark, cold workhouse. Scene changes throughout were very well accomplished, and good to see hardly any blackouts, which created a seamless production.  The only time this failed slightly was between the end of the musical and the bows – the pause seemed overlong.  Technically a good show. Lighting was imaginative and added to the atmosphere in most scenes, whilst sound was good, but the underscore in the Undertaker’s Parlour was a little too loud, so we lost some of the dialogue and humour. The Orchestra created some lovely sounds, and I was particularly taken by the solo violin in Reviewing the Situation – it created a very evocative moment.  There were some nice harmonies in the ensemble work, and 'Who Will Buy' was very nicely accomplished. I felt that overall the music was sometimes too slow, and there was a lack of energy from the cast in some places.  This was not the case in 'Oom-Pah-Pah', which was very lively. Joshua Langley was a very sweet Oliver – using a lot of facial expressions, which conveyed his distress and also his sense of fun and wonderment when with Dodger and the gang.  For a 9 year old he coped very well, although I felt that at times his movement was a little too studied, and wasn’t as natural as it could have been. Steven Bowyer gave us a very lively Artful Dodger, who sang and acted his part really well, and kept his character going throughout. Nicole Taylor sang Nancy very well, I thought her interpretation of 'As Long as He Needs Me' was very good, but I wanted a bit more roughness in her portrayal, as I thought she was perhaps a little too refined. Cera Rose Pickering was a bright and charming Bet, with David Cousins a suitably evil Bill Sikes, and again I liked his interpretation of 'My Name'.  However, the killing of Nancy didn’t have as much impact as it could have, as it was obvious Bill was thumping the stage with his stick – a sound effect of wood hitting flesh would have been more in keeping, and given us the violence we needed as a contrast to the quieter moments. Simon Latter gave us a very good characterisation of Fagin, this is an iconic part and Simon did it well, keeping the interest going in 'Reviewing the Situation', which is quite a long song! The pairings of Mr Bumble (Andrew Frost) and Widow Corney (Maureen Stretch), and Mr & Mrs Sowerberry (Sue White and Barry Hooper) worked well .  Although I felt that some of the humour was missing in 'I Shall Scream', although it was well sung.  I also liked Mary Kenealy as Charlotte and Michael Taylor as Noah. Jeff Hammond created a very understanding Mr Brownlow, and Jenny Reynolds a sympathetic Mrs. Bedwin.  I wasn’t sure about Graham Duncan (Dr Grimwig’s) wig, it seemed a little out of place when Mr Brownlow wasn’t wearing a wig at all, but he played the part well.   Sylvia Steel as Annie and Anne Sellwood as Old Sally completed the principal lineup. Costumes were good throughout, although I felt that the girl who sang Ripe Strawberries stood out too much, her costume was very red, amongst the more muted tones of the rest of the cast. The other costume that was a little out of kilter was one lady who had a very short skirt that didn’t have much fullness to it, so all we saw were her  frilly drawers, which wasn’t in keeping with the other ladies, as although we saw glimpses of underwear, it wasn’t all we saw.The children all acted well, but we needed a bit more volume in Food, Glorious Food, as they were using their faces and bodies, but not their voices to their full extent. I liked the direction overall, and the choreography was mostly suitable, as it is difficult on such a wide stage to get the cast filling every part of it.  Perhaps more grouping rather than lines would be better for the stage, although some of the ensemble scenes were very lively and gave the impression of lots going on.We enjoyed the show and there were some good performances, which gave us a traditional production, with some very nice moments, and a show that we enjoyed very much. Our thanks to BTC for their hospitality, and we hope that the show was a great success.  The audience certainly enjoyed it the night we were there.

Nova Horley – reviewing for Vicki Avery

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