Review – Oliver!: enjoyable, moving and filled with young up and coming talent

By Liv Wilson

Oliver!

Music & Lyrics by Lionel Bart

Orchestral arrangements by William David Brohn

Executive Producer / Director – Madeleine Johns

Musical Director – Rhonda Davidson-Irwin

Choreographers – Taylah McLennan and Sara Jane Aistrope

Redcliffe Musical Theatre

Redcliffe Entertainment Centre

The season runs from July 8th to July 17th. Duration: Approx. 2.5 hours plus interval Bookings: (07) 3480 6280 or info@redcliffeentertainmentcentre.com.au

Bringing Charles Dickens’ novel to life, Lionel Bart’s Oliver takes audiences on a wild adventure through Victorian England. Join young, orphaned Oliver Twist as he navigates the London underworld of theft and violence – searching for a home, a family and most importantly, for love.

The Redcliffe Entertainment Centre has been transported back to the 1800’s with their latest show Oliver, produced by Redcliffe Musical Theatre. This show is enjoyable, moving and filled with young up and coming talent.

Max Eilola who played Oliver Twist was strong throughout the entire show and truly embodied everything the character is known for. Eilola’s vocals were pure and innocent with a lot of character and emotion. While Max was spectacular all night, I particularly liked his solo ‘Where Is Love’ which was very moving.

Miguel Gambley as The Artful Dodger was the standout of the night for me. He made acting choices far beyond his years and was totally perfect for this role. As a natural performer he drew my eye in almost every scene be it with his cheeky personality or fantastic dancing. He led ‘Consider Yourself’ with purpose and energy which ultimately resulted in that number being one of the strongest of the show. Gambley’s accent was spot on and by far one of the most consistent of the night.

Taylah McLennan and Sara Jane Aistrope’s choreography was great throughout the larger ensemble numbers and their choice of movement styles lent themselves perfectly to the era the show is set in. I particularly liked ‘You’ve Got To Pick A Pocket Or Two’ & ‘Consider Yourself’ as these seemed to be the most rehearsed and put together.

Matthew Leigh as Bill Sikes was another stand out of the night. He captured the malicious nature of Sikes in such a great way, I found myself holding my breath every time he came on stage. Leigh had unbelievable stage presence and he portrayed the viciousness of Sikes in ‘My Name’ very well.

Alexander Thanasoulis stepped in as Mr Bumble last minute due to casting changes. He is clearly well trained and experienced in musical theatre which came through in his performance. He brought the perfect amount of comic relief to the show while not taking away attention from the characters leading the scene. The few mishaps with dialogue and lyrics were to be expected given the short notice of the casting but Thanasoulis handled the entire situation with professionalism.

Georgia Burnett as Nancy was one of the most solid choices made by the production team. Burnett’s vocals were phenomenal and her world class charisma shone in ‘As Long As He Needs Me’. I found Burnett’s charm lifted the show a great deal. Her connection with Eilola was beautiful and you could clearly see the character’s internal struggle between helping Oliver and obeying Mr Sikes.

Thomas Armstrong Roubley portrayed Faigan in a much more upbeat and chirpy light than some may expect. I found his acting to be good in scenes with the young boys but overall I felt like Roubley’s focus was on getting audience laughs/reactions which took away from the power of his highly manipulative character. Roubly’s microphone was significantly quieter than the rest of the cast but loud enough to notice that his vocals were impressive, especially in ‘Reviewing The Situation’.

Madeline Johns directed the production and while I enjoyed the show overall I found certain choices to be odd for such a classic piece of theatre. I was shocked to see so many improvised moments, especially in Act 2. I don’t know if the choice to ad-lib was smart or necessary for such a well written script. The set design by Johns was functional and cleverly aided in the storytelling.