Oliver!

“Please sir, can I have some more?” Who wouldn’t want to see more of this Dickensian classic. Oliver was brought to life, at the Stoke Rep theatre, by North Staffs Operatic Society this November.  They enjoyed sell out performances throughout the run which made for a very successful week.

Having seen many a production of Oliver it was very reassuring to see the traditional features of the show being maintained, when many a director may have attempted to bring a more modern slant to this well-loved piece. Some of the positioning on stage meant that at different points in the show  the action was hard to see due to bodies or set being in the way and I would suggest that the director  always keep in mind the sight lines, testing it out from the far extremes of the auditorium.

A wonderful composite set and carefully selected costumes created atmosphere and brought the period of the piece to life. Props were used to great effect and the simple lighting helped to create the mood of the various scenes.

The show opened with a rousing rendition of ‘Food Glorious Food’.  The production of this number could have been a little more adventurous but was delivered with much enthusiasm by the company of very animated children. All the children are to be praised for their continued efforts throughout the show allowing their ‘cheeky chappy’ sides to come through as they moved from the down trodden orphans to the thieves and vagabonds of Fagin’s gang.

The company worked well and kept the action alive, however, there were times, particularly in the street scenes where they lacked purpose and motive. The choreography of the crowd numbers was both appropriate and well executed.

Bumble (Kevin Bennett) and Widow Corney (Sharon Lawton) brought light comedic relief to the opening scenes and the Sowerberry’s (Peter Morris and Vanessa Copestick) showed both humour and a suitable creepiness in the undertaker scenes.

The Artful Dodger (Oliver Pritchard-Jones) gave a strong, characterful performance and was a good contrast to the more innocent Oliver Twist.

My sympathy went out to Jenny Mellor, as Nancy, as she struggled with obvious voice problems – a performer’s worse nightmare! All credit must go to her for using her acting experience to drive herself through the show.

Leo Capernaros, as Bill Sykes, gave a very strong and menacing performance. He had great presence on stage and used his physical stature and rough, gravelly voice to great effect.

Richard Masters gave an accomplished performance as Fagin I particularly liked the moments when he was musing to himself, allowing the audience into the thoughts of his character.

My final mention must go to Matthew Murray for his exceptional portrayal of the title role ‘Oliver’.  He looked right, sounded right and was clearly relishing this opportunity to play the character many a young boy would dream of playing.

Well done to all cast, crew and musicians on another successful performance.

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