[NEohioPAL]Berko review: OLIVER (Cain Park)

[Roy Berko]

When ‘OLIVER’ hits its stride it should be a
crowd-pleaser at Cain Park

Roy Berko

(Member, American Theatre Critics Association)

--THE TIMES NEWSPAPERS--

Lorain County Times--Westlaker Times--Lakewood News
Times--Olmsted-Fairview Times	

Fred Sternfeld, the director of ‘OLIVER’ which is now
appearing at Cain Park’s Evans Theatre, is noted for
his ability to take large casts and make them into
cohesive units (think ‘BEAUTY AND THE BEAST” at Beck
Center and ‘RAGTIME’ at Jewish Community Center).  He
pulls it off again with ‘OLIVER,’ though there were
some rag tag moments on opening night, some
questionable casting, and a languid pace.

I was fortunate enough to have seen the second night
performance of the London production of ‘OLIVER.’  I
clapped my hands sore during the numerous curtain
calls.  The show has continued to be one of my very
favorites. 

The script, with music, book and lyrics by Lionel
Bart, is loosely based on Charles Dickens' ‘OLIVER
TWIST.’  It is noted as being the first musical
adaptation of a Dickens novel to become a successful
stage hit.   The New York version opened in 1963  with
Ron Moody (Fagin) and Georgia Brown (Nancy) of the
original London cast.

The story centers on Oliver, an orphan who runs away
from the funeral parlor to which he has been sold for
misbehaving at an orphanage.  He hooks up with a group
of boys trained to be pickpockets by the devious but
good hearted Fagin. On his first outing, Oliver is
wrongly accused of a theft.  Through a serious of
twists and turns, and some glorious songs, Oliver’s
life takes a drastic turn and it appears that he winds
up living happily ever after.

Cain Park’s production is blessed with George Roth
portraying Fagin.  He has a delightful singing voice
and gives the role the right tone.  His “ Reviewing
the Situation” was wonderful, as was “Pick A Pocket or
Two.”  He walks the line between bad guy and
curmudgeon with finesse.

Lincoln Sandham (Oliver), though a little too old to
be playing the role, has the requisite blonde hair and
innocent wide-eyed look.  He has a nice pure singing
voice.  His “Where is Love” was right in tonality and
meaning.

One of my favorite musical theatre songs is, “As Long
as He Needs Me.”  Each time I see the production I sit
in fear that the song will be ruined.  No fear in this
production.  Patty Lohr sings beautifully, stressing
meaning over mere words, and she also acts the role
with assurance.

As has come to be expected, Martin Cespedes’
choreography is creative.  He has honed the youngsters
in the cast into a cohesive unit that is delightful in
“Food, Glorious Food.”  His staging of “I’d Do
Anything” is a show stopper.

Musical Director Jodie Ricci, Scenic Designer Jeff
Hermann, and Costumer Aimee Kluiber all should be
proud of their contributions.

On the other hand, Kris Hebble fails to develop any
meaningful character as Mr. Bumble.  Surprisingly
Juliette Regnier is emotionally flat as Widow Corney
and Bob Adelman speaks lines without much meaning as
Mr. Sowerberry.  Because of this, the second and
fourth scenes in the first act drag.  Even “I Shall
Scream” lacks the humor inherent in the song.  Chris
McCarrell lacks the enthusiasm and a
twinkle-in-the-eye playfulness needed for portraying
the Artful Dodger.  Bob Russell could be more
consistently verbally and physically menacing as Bill
Sykes.  His "My Name" lacked the necessary
shudder-factor.  

CAPSULE JUDGEMENT:  “OLIVER,’ with its wonderful score
and slight but engaging story line is one of musical
theatre’s better scripts.  The Cain Park production
has the potential to be very good, thanks to some
strong performances and wonderful choreography.  It
can only be hoped that as the production runs the
weaker cast members will truly develop their
characters and the pace of the show will pick up. 

‘OLIVER’ runs through July 8 at the Evans Theatre in
Cain Park.  For tickets call 216 371-3000.

Roy Berko's blog, which contains theatre and dance reviews from 2002 through 2007, as well as his consulting and publications information, can be found at http://royberko.info
      
Roy's theatre and dance reviews appear regularly on NeOHIOpal, an on-line source.   To subscribe to this free service via the World Wide Web, visit http://lists.fredsternfeld.com/mailman/listinfo/neohiopal.  His reviews also appear on www.coolcleveland.com


       
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