Good tunes, great singing and dancing and a fine orchestra.
Oliver! — the Cowichan Musical Society’s blockbuster presentation — was a huge hit in its three-day run at the Cowichan Performing Arts Centre.
You need a talented, hard-working cast to pull off a big production like this one and this enthusiastic gang was up for it.
They’d started rehearsals early because of an early date in the schedule, and that effort really showed, especially on Friday’s opening night, which was brought to a grinding halt about a third of the way through by a fire alarm that forced everyone outside. Once crowd and players were back, the show rolled on.
They even managed to ad lib a line about being forced to evacuate a theatre into the show itself, much to the amusement of the audience.
Oliver! is a strange show in that it lacks that beloved character of musical theatre and opera: the Hero (always a tenor) whose soaring tones provide the high note in many songs.
This show has a hero, but sorry folks, he’s a she. And even Nancy (Sarah Lane), the wise-cracking, street-smart gal who has survived by hitching her star to vicious gangster, Bill Sykes (Austin Frykas), doesn’t really do anything heroic until forced to try to rescue young Oliver (Dominic Fagan) near the end of the musical.
Lane is Nancy.
With every inch of her body working, and her voice in fine form as well, she grasps the show in both hands, whirling the audience along through her rollercoaster life: manically happy one minute, desperately afraid the next.
It’s a tour de force for a fine performer who has shown us her quality before.
However, the lack of an old-style leading man opens the door for two others to really enjoy their characters.
Frykas is one. Usually the guys with the lower voices get stuck being the father, the understanding friend, the servant, even the fool.
Or, as in this case, the villain. Frykas takes full advantage of his chance, especially in his song, ‘My Name’, in which he spells out his nastiness in no uncertain terms.
The other fellow kicking up his heels is Grant Mellemstrand, yes, as tenor, but not a hero. He’s Fagin, one of musical theatre’s most engaging villains.
Throwing himself into the role completely, he oozes around the stage in a deliciously unpleasant manner in his famous song, ‘You’ve Got to Pick a Pocket or Two’ and finds that greed will always triumph in ‘Reviewing the Situation’.
As young Oliver, Dominic Fagan finds himself with his name on the marquee and two solos, which he performs skillfully and sadly, as befits his uprooted life.
Oliver! is also one of those musicals that offers many tasty small scenes for those in secondary roles.
The workhouse supervisors, Mr. Bumble (Ted Eden) and Widow Corney (Julia Lalonde), enjoy one of these as do the undertakers, Mr. and Mrs. Sowerby (Jim Cleough and Jennifer Lally).
The Artful Dodger (Reuben Broadway) is another supporting player with plenty to do, and Broadway takes it on with gusto.
There are also several others, who, while their roles may be minor, still add colourful threads to this brilliant tapestry.
Joy Ann Bannerman took over as musical director from Peter Yelland, who left for health reasons partway through the rehearsal schedule, and led the orchestra in the pit, proving that the best theatrical orchestra is one you don’t notice. They melded seamlessly into the production, very supportive but unobtrusive except for some fine solo work by violinist Raya Fridman.
Drama director Gregg Perry made sure everyone could hear the words of this great story, and choreographer Joyce Scott had everyone stepping in time.
The near sellout crowds every day were a suitable reward for an enthusiastic bunch of folks who just love to perform. Bravo!
