‘Oliver!’ Energetic, Enjoyable Production
“Oliver!” Monday, March 6, Spokane Opera House
The exuberant “Food, Glorious Food” number Five minutes into “Oliver!”, we already had two powerful hints that this would be a successful and enjoyable evening.
The first hint came as soon as the curtain went up. The stage was filled with an ingenious array of wooden slats, tilted platforms and catwalks, all conveying a weathered aura of Dickensian grit.
The second hint came when the troupe of orphans launched into the opening number, “Food, Glorious Food.” These 11- and 12-year-olds had fine clear voices, raised in perfect harmony. And they also proved to be talented and energetic dancers, doing gymnastic leaps off the table.
These early indications were not misleading: The entire show had excellent production values and high-energy performances. Combine this with a classic musical that has one great song after another, and the result is an evening of Broadway-style entertainment that positively races past.
The Troika Organization, which produced this show, got lucky when it found 12-year-old Graham Bowen to play Oliver. This kid has a sweet and surprisingly powerful voice, shown off to best advantage in the wistful and plaintive, “Where Is Love?”.
And he also is a pretty good actor, making us believe in, and sympathize with, his plight. He is especially plucky in the scenes in Mr. Sowerberry’s undertaker’s parlor. He looks like a cartoon whirlwind of fists when he finally loses control and starts whaling away on the bully Noah Claypole.
Bowen and the other kids in the cast come from the School for the Creative and Performing Arts in Cincinnati. They are terrific as the orphans in Mr. Bumble’s squalid orphanage and equally terrific as Fagin’s ragged band of pickpockets.
This production’s director, Dallett Norris, made some unusual casting choices that sometimes added to, and sometimes subtracted from, the show’s impact.
For one thing, he cast Michael Chimenti, an adult, in the role of the Artful Dodger. Chimenti can pass for an 18-year-old, but not much younger. Chimenti was fine in this part, but I missed the precocious swagger of the younger Artful Dodgers I’ve seen.
He also cast David Lee as Fagin, who plays him as harmless, sprightly and almost professorial. Lee is wonderful, especially in “Reviewing the Situation,” but he lacked any kind of sinister edge. The best “Olivers” I’ve seen have had a Fagin who not only amuses but sometimes frightens.
Kathy Halenda is not the typical Nancy, either. Halenda is cut from the Ethel Merman mold, and the result is that Nancy comes off as more of an earthy barroom wench rather than a young and beautiful working class saint. This is actually a more realistic and more powerful way to represent Nancy, and Halenda made the most of it. She is a hugely talented performer, and her “As Long As He Needs Me” was one of the show’s high points.
Another high point was the “Who Will Buy?” number, a stunning melody based on street vendors’ cries (“Who will buy these sweet red roses, two blooms for a penny?”).
Lionel Bart’s music was well-performed throughout, although the seven-piece orchestra begs the question - if it only has seven pieces, can it still be called an orchestra? The sounds of synthesizers prevailed, but that’s nothing new in today’s world of touring shows.
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