“Consider Yourself” Entertained at DCCT’s Musical Oliver!

            Dickinson County Community Theater’s production of Oliver! opened at the Braumart in Iron Mountain on April 23.  Good show.  Song.  Dance.  Humor.  Storytelling.  Other riveting stuff.  A bit of everything.  Very entertaining.  It plays next weekend, too.  You should go.  Judge for yourself.

Based on the novel Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens, Oliver! is a musical by Lionel Bart.  It premiered in 1960 and is set in mostly grimey 19th-century London. 

Oliver! relates the life and fortunes of 13-year-old Oliver in the workhouse and on the streets among runaways, orphans, and deserted kids of all ages.  Just as importantly, it relates the lives and fortunes of those he encounters.  Eventually you learn where Oliver came from and where he ends up.  But I can’t tell you that here.  It would ruin the ending.  If you don’t care, look up the show at Wikipedia to get the full dope on it.  A good summary there.

Abused, Oliver struggles to survive from the depths of fright and wimpery.  Some care about him, others care only about exploiting him.  Young actor Aaron Pope struggles himself, with a changing voice, but rises to the occasion.  He does a great job characterizing Oliver.  Way to go, kid.  Well done.

Oliver is a star around which other characters, large and small, orbit.  The entire cast is good.

First, you have the workhouse kids.  From astonishing little squirts through teens.  This talented bunch sings and dances and acts with great zest, great enthusiasm.  Most of them change costume and character and successfully play Fagin’s gang, a family of pickpockets, scamps, and rascals.  Great bunch, Fagin’s gang.  And about all these kids, of course, there’s the cute factor.

Bravo also to Central Casting for the Londoners and other masses who theatrically mill through and fill the appropriate scenes.  Many of these folk are in and out of  individual roles, too, and manage the changes of character with grace and skill.  Always a delight to see some of community theater’s solid veterans here and there.  John Wilkinson.  Alice Smith.  Bill Cummings.  The ones I’m forgetting to mention and hope will forgive me.

            Special applause to Fred Jump as Mr. Bumble, the Beadle.  And to Liz Black, the Matron.  Lovers, these two have a nice chemistry on stage.  And Paul Peterson does an admirable job as the Artful Dodger.

            I like Nancy.  A lusty, bawling character.  Bill Sikes’s girlfriend.  Raw and boisterous, earthy and likable.  Full of life and living it with gusto, even on the wrong side of the tracks.  Lots of passion and mischief and fun in this woman, despite her circumstances.  She has a heart and a conscience, too.  Once Fagin’s street gang adopts Oliver, she develops a motherly affection for the boy and watches over him.  DCCT rookie and Kingsford Spanish teacher Kathy Stenlund does a bang-up job on this role.  She really pours herself into it.

            My favorite character, however, remains crusty but spry Fagin.  The young street thieves’ old teacher and guardian.  Paul Humphrey does a wonderful job with this role.  Sings well (I liked the quality of his voice), acts well, knows his way around stage, does the little things well, has good vibes, connects solidly and apparently effortlessly with his cast-mates and with the audience.  And he captures and expresses the pathos of the story in a sympathetic manner.

            Overall the cast is involved, focused, and enthusiastic.  It makes a great effort.  Clearly it’s well prepared and the result is a relaxed, unforced, uncontrived performance.  All of which serve as a salute to Oliver!’s director, Duane Peck.

            Impressive production team.  The show looks and sounds good.  Its set, light, costumes, sound, props, makeup, etc.  You’ll really like the set, I think, its mobility and practicality, and it keeps the show well paced and moving along nicely.  Things run smoothly.  Kudos to the show’s producer, Jinx Brew, and her crew.

            The orchestra impresses me mightily.  Live music done well is always a thrill.  More band than orchestra, its balance of instrumentation and performance is superb.  Some dandy musicians in that pit.  Compliments to its members and to the show’s musical director and conductor, John Henley.

            “Cheese, glorious cheese” ring a bell to any of you TV-watchers?  Well, “Food, Glorious Food,” the song that the ad is based on, is in Oliver!  Another familiar tune is “Consider Yourself.”  But among the surprise treats, you’ll enjoy “Pick a Pocket or Two” by Fagin and his gang of merry miscreants.  Great little number.

By the time you read this, there will be three performances remaining.  8:00 PM on April 30 and May 1, 2:00 PM on May 2.  At the Braumart in Iron Mountain.  At the theater, tickets are $12 for adults, $10 for children.  In advance, $10 for adults, $8 for children, at First National Bank of Crystal Falls, the Chamber of Commerce and Music Tree in Iron Mountain, First National Bank of Niagara, and First National Bank of Norway.  For updates and additional information, visit DCCT’s website at www.localtheater.org.

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