Oliver

Wookey Theatre Group presents Oliver!

‘Please sir, can we have some more?’ asked the audience and Wookey Theatre Group (WTG) responded spectacularly. Having staged some incredible productions, WTG challenged themselves to perform Charles Dickens dark tale of victorian child poverty, petty thieving and violence channelled through the musical genius of Lionel Bart – Oliver The Musical.

It was with great expectations that I sat in the village hall for the second show of the run. There was an audible gasp as the curtains opened to Brian Wyatt’s stunning stage set evoking Victorian London, and from the minute the workhouse chorus appeared on stage with their dirty faces and tousled hair to sing ‘Food Glorious Food’ it was obvious we were in for a treat. Even the stage jelly wobbled convincingly as it passed in front of us.

Mr Bumble (Kieren Gallen) opening the solo singing and his powerful voice resonated throughout the hall. Ably assisted by Widow Corney (Jenny Candler) they also portrayed the comedy elements inherent in Dickens tale that lighten the darker moments. The comedy and fine singing continued with the Funeral Directors Mr and Mrs Sowerberry (Steve French and Louise Cooper).

The characters and songs came thick and fast, and when Beth Treasure as Oliver Twist sang ‘Where is Love’ portraying the vulnerability and fragility of the titular character, her faultless performance moved many in the audience to tears. Fagin’s Gang, led by a cheeky Artful Dodger (Isaac Price) took us into the bustling romp of ‘Consider Yourself’ into Fagin’s den where Fagin (Andy Child) awaited. Andy’s magnificent portrayal of this complex character, the villain with the heart of gold, channelled his inner Ron Moody and I am still whistling ‘Pick a Pocket or Two’, ‘Be Back Soon’, and ‘Reviewing the Situation’ a week later!

As Bill Sykes emerged from the dark shadows (played with sinister conviction by Mark Parry) the fear was palpable and there were even a few audience boos as we forgot what we were watching. Mark was so menacing in his rendition of ‘My Name’ that the audience was too frightened to give him a round of applause.

Thankfully Nancy and Bet (Lyn Hinde and Kerry Collinson) lightened the mood with their renditions of ‘Its a Fine Life’ and ‘I’ll do Anything’ with the rest of the cast. Lyn gave a stunning performance of ‘As Long as He Needs Me’ whilst ‘Oom Pah-Pah’ filled the hall with raucous laughter.

‘Who Will Buy’ is one of the most complex musical numbers ever filmed. How would they carry this off on the tiny Wookey stage? Well, they did, magnificently, with multi part harmonies and expertly choreographed dance moves.

I have seen pretty much every production of WTG and all have been great. Oliver, however, took their performance to a new level. The acting, the complex harmonies, individual vocal performances and choreography was as good as you would see on a professional stage. If I haven’t mentioned you by name in this review, I’m sorry, but rest assured you were brilliant.

The hard work and dedication that the cast and crew put into this production was there for all to see, but the final words of praise belong to Polly Carroll as Director and Ann Gouldney as Producer with their incredible team including Ted Jenkins and Jane Pruden. You only went and did it guys, you pulled it off and it was worth all those months of toil. Can’t wait to see what’s next!