If there were prizes to hand out for Walmsley Church AODS’ production of “Oliver!” I would be happy to present them. It’s a highly successful show for which, I gather, they’ve sold about 2,300 seats for the week’s run. You won’t even get in for the Saturday matinee.
Lionel Bart’s 25-years old musical is full of catchy tunes, of course, a mixture of Tin Pan Alley and Yiddish folk melodies. And the music in turn invests Dickens’ low life characters with tremendous energy and liveliness.
Walmsley’s key asset, in addition to fine teamwork, is a scaled down version of Sean Kenny’s timbered set, as used in the original London show. It switches the action from thieves’ kitchen to to Sowerberry’s funeral parlour and on to London Bridge in a matter of seconds.
Audrey McL. Raistrick’s production sustains a fine sense of momentum, from the bouncy opening chorus of “Food, Glorious Food” through to Fagin’s wistful “Reviewing the Situation”.
Graham Edgington makes an impressive debut as choreographer, skilfully reconstructing as much of the professional staging as was feasible, and there’s a sensitive rapport between stage and pit under Jessie Whittaker’s baton.
Alan Lee is a jovial Mr Bumble, Stanley Collinson is a ghoulish Sowerberry, and Matthew Elliott is an appealing Artful Dodger. But the real scene stealers are Bill Steel’s Fagin, a true vaudeville villain, and Irene Bowers (who bears a startling resemblance to Esther Rantzen) as the golden-hearted Nancy. The squad of ragamuffins, led by Damian Ward’s Oliver, are infectiously lively.
