When "Oliver!", the musical adaptation of Charles Dickens' famed novel "Oliver Twist", hits the stage at ASU's Gammage Auditorium this week, it'll be a bit different and a bit better than the version most of us have seen.
Originally written in 1838, the story of a lovable orphan, Oliver Twist, has gone through many different interpretations. The most famous one is the 1968 film, which won five Academy Awards, including Best Picture. The new stage version has changed its face since the film's release, and since the original staging, which first appeared in London in 1960 and came to Broadway in 1963.
It's surprising that such a sad story has been re-made so many times but, as the new production proves, the entertainment value is high, with a great balance of comedy, drama, dancing and singing.
This revival is making its first appearance in North America with the NETworks Presentations. The man behind the new show is Cameron Mackintosh, who's brought American audiences shows such as "Cats," "The Phantom of the Opera" and "Les Miserables". Mackintosh says there were several hurdles he had to overcome to make the revival.
"My concerns were wider than just putting on the occasional production myself," he says "Unless I took the gamble to change the set I would never get a talented director to give the show a fresh look."
He adds that much credit for the new look of the show must also go to the original director of the London revival, Academy Award-winner Sam Mendes ("American Beauty" and "Road to Perdition"). The show is much more colorful, even when Oliver is picking pockets in the slums of London.
For those unfamiliar with the story, "Oliver!" is the story of Oliver Twist, an orphan who is sold by the owners of the orphanage he lives in. After running away from his foster parents, Oliver becomes the new friend of the Artful Dodger, a dashing young pickpocket. The Artful Dodger brings Oliver to his "foster parent," Fagin, portrayed marvelously here by Mark McCracken. He is a master criminal who keeps watch over a group of pick- pocketing orphan boys. Oliver quickly falls in love with Nancy, beautifully played here by Renata Renee Wilson, a fellow criminal friend of Fagin's, and the lover of Bill Sykes, the villain of the story. Sykes, a domineering criminal mastermind, is a threat to all of the characters involved, and it's his machinations which set the story in motion.
This revival of "Oliver"! is wonderful to behold. The acting in the show is nearly perfect.
As Oliver, Ryan Tutton shows the audience a nice blend of sympathy and lovability. When he sings "Where is Love?," it's hard not to feel his plight. The new songs in the show are not show-stoppers, but do lend some well-needed characterization. One special treat in this production is Fagin's love for vaudevillian-style jokes. These sly references to the show's history are a hoot.
The actors in this version of "Oliver!" have some big shoes to fill. Andrew Blau, appearing as the Artful Dodger, is following in the footsteps of musicians such as Phil Collins and the Monkees' Davy Jones. McCracken, as Fagin, follows actors such as Barry Humphries (better known as the cross-dressing comedian Dame Edna Everage), Jonathan Pryce and the Academy Award-winning Ron Moody, who also portrayed Fagin not only in the movie, but in the original Broadway production in 1963. Luckily they all prove capable.
Fans of old-fashioned musicals will want to mark this new production of "Oliver!" on their calendars. It took 10 years for the revival to make waves in North America and it could be quite a long time before the touring company, which is only here for a week, comes back to Gammage Auditorium.
Reach the reporter at joshua.spiegel@asu.edu.
