The 5th Avenue Theatre last produced the beloved musical adaptation of Charles Dickens’ novel Oliver Twist twenty-three seasons ago. Given the warm reception from the opening night audience on Thursday, the revival has been eagerly awaited. What a great show for a theatre determined to bring its audiences together for a holiday celebration that focuses on marvelously directed youth performers, and a spirit of love and musical celebration that is absolutely infectious. The folks at the 5th have done little Oliver proud, and Seattle’s musical theatre lovers will reap the benefits of a show well-done.
There are two gifted youngsters (Jack Fleischmann and Mark Jeffrey James Weber) sharing the demanding role of little Oliver, the unfortunate orphan who has the simple honesty to ask for more food when he is hungry, and the audacity to meet each challenge his risky life throws at him from that moment of glorious food and forward. Dickens’ Oliver is a kid for the ages, one determined to find his way, to ask for what is fair, and to long for love, safety and security.
It was fitting that London’s West End hosted the premiere of OLIVER! in 1960, as Dickens’ composer and lyricist was Lionel Bart, a Londoner who understood and wrote for his audience. The controversial portrayal of the miser Fagin who keeps a cellar-full of orphans to do his thieving, and the onstage murder of the soft-hearted and proud Nancy, who suffers beatings at the hands of her lover while singing that she will stay with him, “As Long as He Needs Me” make OLIVER! a far more complicated musical story than one might expect. Oliver must survive the evil and greed of adults wrapped in all kinds of wicked packages, and his tale is infectious for its memorable music, rich array of diverse Dickensian characters, and deeply rooted sense of faith and hope. The premiere received 23 curtain calls for that London opening, and the production was still running three years later when it opened on Broadway to audience and Tony acclaim. The 5th Avenue’s current production is a handsome and faithful revival. With solid performances by some of Seattle’s best loved adult musical actors, and a huge company of talented and committed young actor/singer/dancers, this production has a heart as big as the legacy of Dickens’ literary masterpiece.
David Armstrong, the 5th’s Executive Producer and Artistic Director helms the vast production. Collaborating with scenic and lighting designer Tom Sturge, Armstrong and company deliver Edwardian London with elegance, exquisite scenic artistry, and seamless movement of architecture and sky in the rendering of Oliver Twist’s journey. The production design team, with magnificent costumes by Sarah Nash Gates and Sound Design by Drew Levy and Tony Smolenski IV, was particularly unified in creating the worlds evoked by the music and settings of Dickens’ tale. Literary, theatrical, and film memory reverberate with the images of the heartless Bumbles and their workhouse, the undertaker Soderberry and his Mrs., and Fagin’s notorious Thieves’ Kitchen. For me, the highlight of the evening was the early morning market and exquisite song medley, “Who Will Buy?” Anchored by the expressive voices of the rose seller and strawberry vendor (Jeannette d’Armand and Billie Wildrick respectively, both leading ladies in ensemble roles), and witnessed from the balcony of the little bedroom of Mr. Brownlow’s home, Oliver awakens from a night’s safe sleep to the music of the market sellers and the hope of a real future. Here, the dances of choreographer Bob Richard shine with the talent of the marvelous chorus and soloists. The musicality and visual poetry of Oliver’s wonderment is fully realized in sound, movement and visual magic.
There are some terrific performances throughout the evening. As enraging as the lyrics may be to a contemporary sensibility, Merideth Kaye Clark’s passion brings the house down in Nancy’s solo, “As Long As He Needs Me”. Hans Altwies earns his boos as the vicious sadist Bill Sikes, and Hugh Hastings is marvelously giant and scary as Mr. Bumble. The solid character actors Allen Fitzpatrick and Carol Swarbrick do splendid double duty, cast first as Mr. and Mrs. Sowerberry, then returning in the second act to play Oliver’s long lost grandfather Mr. Brownley and his housekeeper Mrs. Bedwin. Fitzpatrick and Swarbrick are dynamic performers, who absolutely fill the house with their presence and excellent dialect and language work. David Pichette chews up the scenery in the celebrated role of Fagin. Unfortunate technical difficulties with his microphone on opening night made his overwrought performance even more difficult to decipher. Evil comes in all shapes and sizes, and Pichette’s strange creation is half Shylock and half Golem. I saw Jack Fleischmann play the title role on opening. His exquisite soprano voice sailed effortlessly through the theatre,and though he seems a bit challenged by some of the acting work required, his performance is honest, beautiful to the ear, and ultimately satisfying to anyone who loves an unlikely and vulnerable hero.
At the center of the whirlwind however, is the extraordinary company of young people who play the orphans, the street kids, and the miniature thieves trying to thrive in Fagin’s den. These kids (and I only saw half of them, there are rotating casts) are firecrackers of talent, joy, discipline, energy and collaboration. One only imagine the logistical challenges facing stage managers and the costume team. Kudos to all. Director Armstrong, choreographer Richard, and musical director Joel Fram along with their teams of assistants, have drawn fantastic performances from each and every kid and built an ensemble that probably thinks of itself as family. Oliver is at the heart of the play, but at the center of it’s spirit is the consummate performer Grayson J. Smith, the 12 year-old who plays the beloved character of the Artful Dodger. Smith is the performer who puts it all together, not only is he a triple threat of singer/actor/dancer, but he exudes the youthful spirit of can-do-anything that is demanded by the role, and indeed, by the whole show.
The 5th Avenue Theatre presents David Pichette, Merideth Kay Clark, Hans Altwies and Grayson J. Smith in OLIVER!, book, music and lyrics by Lionel Bart, based on the novel Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens. Directed by David Armstrong, Choreography by Bob Richard, Musical Direction by Joel Fram, Costumes by Sarah Nash Gates, Scenic and Lighting Design by Tom Sturge and Sound Design by Drew Levy and Tony Smolensky IV. With Jack Fleischmann and Mark Jeffrey James Weber sharing the role of Oliver and featuring Jeannette d’Armand, Andrew Davison, Allen Fitzpatrick, Hugh Hastings, Cheryl Massey-Peters Naomi Morgan, Matthew Posner, Karen Skrinde, Carol Sawbrick and Keaton Whittaker and a cast of thousands. OLIVER! runs through December 31st, with alternating casts. For tickets call 206-625-1900 or 1-888-5th-4TIX, or go to www.5thavenue.org.