Oliver!

Directed by: Sarah Dobson

Written by: Lionel Bart

Performance dates: June 2009

Performed by: Lower School

Review: 

PLEASE SIR, I WANT SOME MORE!

Yes, I know it’s not terribly original but I have to say that anyone seeing Lionel Bart’s Oliver! In the Winterflood Theatre this week would have said that they were hungry for more. The Lower School production, in conjunction with CLSG, was a real triumph. The cast, the technical team, the band, the stage managers and the directors truly deserved our applause and congratulations for an outstanding performance of this stage musical. The preparations for this wonderful show started back in February when Miss Dobson and Mr Holiday held those all important auditions. They may not have appeared on BBC’s “I’d do anything”, but the competition to get into this production was just as fierce – and it showed. 

The leading parts played by Euan McGregor (Oliver), Asher Breuer Weil (Dodger), Ivo Almond (Fagin), Kayla Cohen (Nancy) and Matt Harper (Bill Sykes) were carried off with genuine aplomb and the actors were warmly appreciated by an astonished audience who might have been convinced that they were actually watching the new West End version of this popular hit. Fagin’s portrayal was original and interesting; Rowan Atkinson, eat your heart out! 

Of course, these main characters were impressive – this was CLS after all – but so too were the chorus – the unsung heroes who ensured that this was memorable for all the right reasons.  Consider Yourself, Pick a Pocket or Two, Be Back Soon, Reviewing the Situation and Oom Pah-Pah … the list of marvellous songs was endless and delivered with flair and excellent musicianship. When you throw in the tear-jerking “Where is Love?”, “As long as He Needs Me?” and “Who Will Buy?”, you get a flavour of really enjoyable evening’s entertainment. Moreover, who can forget Tim Crawford’s haunting violin solos and James O’Connor’s accomplished percussion accompaniment?  The band would not have disgraced a professional musical! 

The show was a sell out – for every performance – and rightly so; those that got a ticket were not disappointed.  Those who left it too late will live to regret missing one of the best Lower School productions I can remember in the past twenty years. An enormous cast of over sixty, plus thirty or more in the shadows, confirmed that the City Schools have strength in breadth as well as depth. You could certainly have considered yourself at home in the Winterflood!

G S Griffin

Second Master