Oliver! A Production Worth Seeing

I am not a movie critic nor a Broadway reviewer, but I do like to attend live theatre productions, and on occasion, have even participated in local community shows. While this does not make me an expert in stage left vs. stage right vs. down-stage, callboards or Green Rooms, I do know what I like. And may I say that the performance of Lionel Bart's Oliver! being put on right now at the Church-McKee Arts Center at Potomac State College of WVU in Keyser, WV gets more than two thumbs up from me.



From the moment the curtains part and you find yourself in a Charles Dickens' London workhouse, you know this is going to be memorable. As the ragtag orphan ensemble gathers on the stage and they open the show with a fun choreographed "Food, Glorious Food", you get the feeling this is just the tantalizing appetizer with the promise of a delicious meal yet to be delivered. And when young Oliver, played by the talented Donny Ness, requests so innocently, "Please sir, I want some more", he may not have received a second helping, but nobody in the audience is left feeling empty.
 
As a result of Oliver's fated request, he becomes a"Boy For Sale".  Mr. Bumble, the workhouse beadle, and the Widow Corney (Kevin Shreve and Karen Hutcheson) are comically conniving and deserve each other despite her protests of "I Shall Scream". Between the two of them and the Undertaker Sowerberry and his beloved (Robert Godfrey and Danise Whitlock), you begin to wonder what shall become of poor Oliver and if "That's Your Funeral" won't be sung for him next.

But wait....

Enter the young Artful Dodger, played delightfully by Guy Witt, and as he pulls both Oliver and you onto the London streets and the stage fills with pickpockets you suddenly find yourself in Fagin's lair (that is the beauty of this set!) and you may get the feeling that "You've got to Pick a Pocket or Two". 
 Fagin, played by Stephen Gumtz in a way that makes you want to both love and hate this character, is giving to his gang of boys a life, that as Nancy and her gentle friend Bet (Savannah Humberson) say, "It's a Fine Life".

Nancy, dear Nancy, powerfully and emotionally portrayed by Lisa-Anna Maust, grabbed my heart in a way I had not expected. She is a voice for so many others who find themselves in relationships that defy logic, but yet unable to break free. The vile Bill Sykes, played to villainous perfection by Jesse Wilson, has just this choke-hold on her and when Nancy sings "As Long as He Needs Me" and its reprise, I want to cry. Despite a lifetime of misguided judgement, when it really matters, Nancy rises above all that and Oliver may just have the answer to his question, "Where is Love?". 


The workhouse. Fagin's lair. The London Streets and marketplace offering up it's wares in a quartet of musical harmony. The home of the well-to-do and kindly Mr. Brownlow. London Bridge. We are taken there and the name "Oliver!" has taken on new meaning. Why?

This show delivers. Not only with an amazing and talented cast and ensemble, but in the details of the costumes and in a set that exceeds all expectations. Kudos, encores and a standing ovation to the production and creative teams and crew who went above and beyond in every way, working tirelessly to make this happen. There are many, many names that should be recognized in a production like this and I am not going to even begin to mention them all; I don't want to omit a single one because, like a family, each one is valuable. In addition, the live orchestra needs to "Consider Yourself" part of this family as the music is just as much a part of this story as the people on the stage. I was captivated at times watching the musicians and in "Reviewing the Situation" I have concluded that in Fagin's song of the same name, without the masterful Wesley Mason's violin interjecting it's opinion along with the chorus of other instruments, the song would not have been the same.

I've seen the show twice, but this weekend offers three more opportunities to attend and I am pretty sure "I'd Do Anything" to "Be Back Soon". Who else is in? "Who Will Buy?" their tickets and be singing "Oom-Pah-Pah" for the next week?

Signing off with "My Name" (although Bill Sykes, aka Jesse Wilson, nails it so much better!) 
Dianne

All photo credits go to:  Sam Bennett and Greg Ness

For Ticket information and show times:
 http://www.potomacstatecollege.edu/campus_life/student_activities/theatrical_production.html



 http://www.potomacstatecollege.edu/campus_life/student_activities/theatrical_production.html

Producer: Brian Plitnik
Director/Musical Director and Set Designer: Chris McCabe
Assistant Director: Brandon McCabe
Choreographer: Kimberly Rowley
Scenic Artist and assistant: Jill and Mike Baldinger
Lighting Designer: Kathy Ludwick
Costume Designer/Make-up and Assistant: Laurie Clem and Danise Whitlock
Props/House Manager: Amy Linkswiler
Sound Designers: Ken and Josh Nolan