Oliver! - Review by Jessica-Louise Warren
**** (4 Stars)
The Crucible, Sheffield - Monday 16 December, 2013
The audience spontaneously rising from their seats and the auditorium filling with rapturous applause is a thing of magic and, last Monday, was a sign that the recent home-grown revival production of Lionel Bart’s Oliver! at the infamous Crucible Theatre was worth the nearly 20-year wait.
A dark and dingy facade of a workhouse cleverly illuminated with falling lanterns sets the scene in Sheffield. Perhaps the most impressive aspect of McKintosh’s design is its versatility. A favourite moment is the use of the movable ante-stage swung around on the audience as Mr. Bumble (David Phipps-Davis) takes to Sowerberry’s to sell Oliver (Jack Skilbeck-Dunn) enabling us to travel with them through doors and into other realms of this perfectly crafted world. One such realm is that of Mr. and Mrs. Sowerberry’s funeral parlour and it is here we begin to see director Daniel Evans’ dark side with the necrophiliac couple simply simmering at the thought of young Oliver trussed up for a funeral procession.
Despite the dark undertones, there is the spectacle and sound of the West End for the traditional Oliver! fans. "Consider Yourself" epitomises all that is musical-theatre; the choreography is complex enough for us to be impressed (especially with those carrying carcasses of meat and still pirouetting in time) but not so intricate that we aren’t completely absorbed by the performance to the point that we believe we could get up there and dance it with them. And this is all part of this company’s charm: you want to be part of the show; even when Bill Sykes (Ben Richards) is on the prowl and you’re praying that Nancy (Hayley Gallivan) comes to her senses. On a separate note, Gallivan’s rendition of "As Long As He Needs Me" is gripping and we are reluctantly happy to have some distance between her and us as we realise we can’t get up there and rescue her; she’s already too far gone. Again building on Evan’s sinister semantics, the raw ache in Gallivan’s vocals and a decidedly effortless range suggest to the audience that death may be the kindest thing to happen to Nancy and will be the only way out of her abusive relationship. Watching the act, however, laid bare and witnessed by innocents is another facet altogether – nothing is alluded to and it is all the more successful for being honest.
And now for a little more honesty: You don’t go to see Oliver! particularly to see Oliver – he isn’t the most interesting character and this show is no exception. The Artful Dodger (Jack Armstrong), whose cheeky grins and funny-though sometimes overly choreographed-blocking made for a delightful introduction to the vibrant city of London, is exciting and playful; Nancy is fierce and Fagin is superlative. Tom Edden completely steals the show as he plays, or rather becomes, Fagin, his portrayal being so complete. His whimsical dancing and Rik Mayall-esque quirks create a character with force, likeability and vulnerability. "Reviewing The Situation" is a real treat as Edden interacts with the stage and props, having a lovely moment with a lady in the audience who dares to catch his eye mid-note. He is simply impeccable.
When the inevitable happy ending comes around for little Oliver, Fagin’s last moment of anguish and almost betrayal on stage serves as rather a more desperate reminder that, in exchange for Oliver’s reunion with his upper-class roots, many of the other characters have sacrificed themselves. This being said, once the blackout is over, the thought is almost abolished in the tides of applause and the sweet little faces of the young performers smiling as the fourth wall of this bleak arena comes crashing down to reveal the real success here – a cohesive company who have put on an astonishing show giving a cast of young people the opportunity to display their talent.
Oliver! is playing at the Crucible Theatre, Sheffield until 25 January, 2014. Get your tickets here: http://www.sheffieldtheatres.co.uk/event/oliver-13/
