Thomas Winner (left) plays the title role and Dru Loman is the Artful Dodger in Thalian Association's production of the musical "Oliver!" at Kenan Auditorium
By Catherine Bayley
StarNews Correspondent
Published: Friday, May 14, 2010 at 1:29 p.m.
Last Modified: Friday, May 14, 2010 at 1:29 p.m.
“Oliver!” is the last show of the season for The Thalian Association, and the Wilmington theater company has gone all out.
Oliver!Who: Book, music and lyrics by Lionel Bart. Presented by The Thalian Association.
When: 8 p.m. May 14-15, 3 p.m. May 15-16
Where: Kenan Auditorium on the campus of UNCW.
Tickets: $20-$25
Details: 962-3500 or www.Thalian.org
With a cast of 44 costumed in period garb from the 1850s and a set designed by Terry Collins that transforms from a boarding house to the docks at the River Thames, there is always something to look at.
“Oliver!” is based on the Charles Dickens novel “Oliver Twist” about a boy who's alone on the streets of London, and the title character is played by Thomas Winner, who has a sweetness of character that gets toughened up by life on the street. His rendition of “Where Is Love?” is a highlight.
When we meet the orphans they are under the care of Mr. Bumble, who is played by Jeremy Graves as a super-sized Napoleon. After being fed nothing but gruel, the children sing the familiar number “Food, Glorious Food,” which provides a great kick-start to the show.
Another shot in the arm is The Artful Dodger, played by Dru Loman. His personality is big and so is his voice. When he breaks into “Consider Yourself,” almost the entire cast filters onto the set to sing along, creating a dockside dancehall. This is one of the show's best moments.
The Artful Dodger takes Oliver to meet Fagin, played by Mike O'Neil, who has taken a group of street children under his wing and trained them in the art of pick-pocketing. O'Neil's Fagin is like a nimble mixture of Gollum and Mr. Burns from “The Simpsons.” It's an unexpected interpretation. My 11-year-old daughter, who attended the show with me, asked me if the actor playing Fagin looked like that offstage; she couldn't believe it when I told her it was O'Neil, someone she knows.
Another faction on the streets is led by the menacing Bill Sikes, played by Steve Gallian. Sikes is a dangerous bully, and he uses the beautiful Nancy, played by Katherine Rudeseal, to do his dirty work. These actors have two of the strongest singing voices in the show, with Gallian's “My Name” and Rudeseal's “As Long as He Needs Me” spotlighting their talent.
Director Michael Walton-Jones has assembled a strong cast, and he uses them to the best of their abilities with help from musical director Jonathan Barber and choreographer Debra Gillingham. Gillingham's choreography on “Anything For You,” one of the show's best-known songs, is particularly clever as she has the children use their bodies to create a horse-drawn carriage.
The live band, conducted by Barber, is nice to hear in this age of digitally produced music, and contributing to the atmosphere are the costumes designed by Charlotte Safrit and David Kratzer, as well as hair and makeup by Sarah Howe.
The Thalian Association is a community theater company and that means everyone can be involved. The cast of “Oliver!” is made up largely of children, who look like they're enjoying themselves singing and dancing up there on the stage. As part of their community, you could have some fun watching their performances by being in the audience this weekend.
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