Oliver!

Review based on a preview performance on Tuesday 13th January 2009 at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. (May contain spoilers)

Oliver! webpage: http://www.oliverthemusical.com/

Review:

It was a long time coming, and arguably the most anticipated production of the year. It had started with the BBC's search for Nancy in the programme "I'd Do Anything," the winner of which was Jodie Prenger. Jodie was faced with a mixture of criticism and praise. As is the nature of these 'talent' shows, opinion was divided as to who should have won, although it must be said that general opinion was clearly on Jodie's side as it was she who won "I'd Do Anything." I would say that her huge and bubbling personality shone through in the programme, so one could argue that perhaps personality won over talent. I, however, do not entirely agree as it was certainly clear that she had a great deal of talent. Yes perhaps some had more training and classical talent than Jodie, however, I would say that her passion, charisma, and honest talent perhaps wins through as a 'complete package.' It should also be noted that Jodie's relationship with the children in the television series was fantastic and unmatched by any of the other finalists.  A television series is one thing, a live theatre performance is another.



Jodie Prenger as Nancy



The production was very impressive.  The sets, and their use in scene changes were very clever and innovative.  There was a clear distinction between the 'poor world' of London and the 'rich world'.  The East End of London and the workhouse were portrayed in dark and dismal colours, whereas The Brownlow's residence and the square in Bloomsbury, were portrayed in bright, sunny colours.  The only exception to this 'rule' is Fagin's den, which is a mix of colour and depravity.  Furthermore, the stage came out around the orchestra pit.  This adds to the performance as it literally brings the show into the audience.



Rowan Atkinson as Fagin

 The performance itself was generally very good.  Rowan Atkinson was mesmerising as Fagin.  It was as if he was born to the role.  He truly made it his own, adding little snippets from his much loved characters, such as talking to his teddy bear (as in Mr Bean).  Although some may criticise this 'recycling' of memorable characters, however, I feel that they actually added to the performance, particularly for the children in the audience.  Atkinson also had an uncanny nact of drawing the audience into his every line, making you feel real empathy for Fagin.  There was also a very clear rapport between Fagin and the children, which added greatly to the performance.



Burn Gorman as Bill Sikes

 The same cannot be said of the relationship between Nancy and Bill Sikes.  I am a fan of Burn Gorman's work, particularly in the programme 'Torchwood', and believe him to be a very talented actor.  His talents were very apparent during the performance, and it was interesting to see him in such a different role.  In his role as Owen Harper in 'Torchwood' he played a lovable rogue; however, as Bill Sikes, he presents a terrifying persona of violence and control.  He made the audience genuinely fear him, and although I had doubts about him in the role, within the first thirty seconds of his performance they had been quashed.  However, when it came to the scenes with Bill Sikes and Nancy, I was greatly disappointed.  For two characters who were supposed to be in a relationship (albeit strained), there was no real emotion or connection between them, one might even have expected to find more passion between two strangers.  Although I would say that Gorman could have brought more to these scenes, it must be stated that Prenger's inexperience is probably more likely to be the cause.

Although Jodie Prenger portrayed the role of Nancy quite well, it was quite an awkward performance.  Her inexperience definitely showed through in a rather inconsistent performance.  Having said this, considering the size of the role, Prenger's lack of experience and the fact that this was still only a preview performance (and as such the kinks were still to be ironed out), her performance was still to a good standard.  It must also be noted that Prenger was suffering from a severe throat infection at the time, and had been absent from the previous performances of the week.  This was very apparent within the musical numbers where she clearly struggled to reach certain points of the songs (and this is noticable on the soundtrack that has since been released), although she did reach them.  I feel that considering her lack of experience and her ill-health, Prenger's performance was generally quite good, although she was upstaged by some of her cast members on occaision, such as Charlotte Spencer, who played Bet.

Harry Stott as Oliver

However, absolutely everybody was upstaged by the children.  Although Harry Stott (Oliver) had a wonderfully clear voice, I was not overly taken by his acting performance.  He successfully brought the emotions to the forefront of his performance and sustained his performance far better than some of his adult co-stars, yet I was still not drawn to his protrayal of the character.  Instead, I found Ross McCormack's Artful Dodger to be highly entertaining.  Obviously he was helped by the 'cheeky chappie' image of the character, yet having taken this into consideration, the level of maturity and humour that McCormack brought to the role was exceptional.  However, the show was stolen from everyone by the youngest member of Fagin's Gang.  This was a young boy dressed in an oversized coat and hat.  He expertly mimicked Rowan Atkinson and was well versed in physical comedy.  He had the audience in the palm of his hand, and you couldn't help but be drawn to him every time he was on stage.  Indeed, when it came to the final walkdown, this young star thoroughly milked his bow.  After the second encore, the rest of the cast had left the stage, with this young prodigy deliberately staying behind, and he received his very own (well-earned) standing ovation.  He proceeded to bow and dance, again and again to an increasingly bigger response from the audience, until finally a member of the stage crew came on and physically lifted him off the stage, to the sound of rapturous laughter and applause.  It was without a doubt one of the highlights of the entire performance.

Ross McCormack as The Artful Dodger

The entire production was incredibly well executed and well worth the high ticket price.  The set was very well crafted and added greatly to the performance.  However, in my opinion, what the production should be most proud of was the sound quality.  The music was very moving and well-arranged, and every song very well performed.  The clarity of the vocal pieces, which can be lacking in some performances, was in this instance of a very high quality.

All in all, the performance was to an esceptionally high standard, and certainly a show not to be missed.


Cast:

• Fagin: Rowan Atkinson
• Nancy: Jodie Prenger
• Bill Sikes: Burn Gorman
• Oliver: Harry Stott
• Artful Dodger: Ross McCormack
• Mr Brownlow: Julian Glover
• Mr Bumble: Julius D'Silva
• Widow Corney: Wendy Ferguson
• Mr Sowerberry/Dr Grimwig: Julian Bleach
• Mrs Sowerberry/Mrs Bedwin: Louise Gold
• Charlotte: Mary Cormack
• Noah Claypole: David Roberts
• Bet: Charlotte Spencer

Production Team:

• Book, Lyrics, Music: Lionel Bart (1st August 1930 - 3rd April 1999)
• Producer: Cameron MacKintosh
• Director: Rupert Goold
• Co-Director & Choreographer: Matthew Bourne
• Scenic & Costume Design: Anthony Ward
• Director 1994 Palladium Production: Sam Mendes
• Lighting Designer: Paule Constable
• Sound Designer: Paul Groothuis
• Orchestrator: William David Brohn
• Associate Choreographer: Geoffrey Garratt
• Associate Director: Laurence Connor
• Musical Supervisor: Stephen Brooker
• Musical Director: Graham Hurman