Starring Colm Feore, Blythe Wilson
*** (out of five)
The musical Oliver! has had a long and storied theatrical life. Lionel Bart, the show's composer, lyricist and writer, took Charles Dickens' masterpiece about a young orphan who asked for "some more" and created one of the most popular musicals of the 20th century.
The Stratford Festival's production, under the leadership of director and choreographer Donna Feore (making her directorial debut at the Canadian festival), has moments of brilliance, creativity and true heart. However, ultimately the show gets bogged down with the glitziness of a musical theatre spectacle. Designer Santo Loquasto has decked the cast out in lavish costumes in bold, strong colours to go along with the lighting design of John Munro. The set consists of numerous platforms and risers that allow the scenes to transition nicely, and allows the cast plenty of room to perform the choreography and movement with ease.
The performances are generally strong, highlighted by Colm Feore's portrayal of Fagin. His charismatic stage presence and haunting voice are a perfect fit for the role. Blythe Wilson is splendid as Nancy, and her touching rendition of "As Long As He Needs Me" sent shivers down the spines of this audience member.
Bruce Dow and Mary-Ellen Mahoney are very funny as Mr. Bumble and the Widow Corney, and Brad Rudy plays the rough Bill Sykes with the perfect amount of force, terror and strength, and at the performance I attended, he received a chorus of boos during his curtain call bow.
Two young performers truly stand out: Scott Beaudin as the Artful Dodger and Tyler Pearse as the title character, Oliver. They carried themselves with an air of maturity and charisma, and provided the audience with some of the most entertaining and lovely moments of the evening. Scott's toe tapping rendition of "Consider Yourself" and Tyler's "Where Is Love?" are two highlights.
Donna Feore has always had a wonderful knack at staging innovative and high energy choreographic numbers, and this show is no different. She seems to be at home on the three-quarter thrust stage at the Festival Stage, and she understands the challenges posed by the space, and handles them with ease.
This production of Oliver!, while not as dark or brooding as previous incarnations, is still a delightful production, which is well worth seeing.
