Twisted: “Oliver!” at Arena Stage
Arena Stage has assembled an Oliver! that speaks to contemporary issues
Molly Smith has idealistic hopes for her staging of the musical Oliver! “If this production can open up hearts to the plight of the homeless in our city [or to] give time to the hungry in D.C.,” she writes in the program notes, “then we’ve done our job as artists.”
To aid her cause, Smith has set the musical, based on the Charles Dickens novel Oliver Twist, in a contemporary London demimonde, rather than Victorian England. Smith hopes such a shift in time will help today’s audiences better relate and connect to the tale — appreciating that society is no better off today, at least in terms of income disparity and poverty, than it was back then.
I’m not sure this ultimately subtle change will help, though. Lionel Bart’s Oliver! (
) still feels a bit dated, particularly on account of its story. It comes across as a fantasy that springs from a boy’s vivid imagination of what it might be like to live in the netherworld, rather than a parable trying to illustrate the real, lived experience of the poor and destitute. Perhaps Lionel Bart’s wonderful music is just too melodic and buoyant to really convey despair, at least to a degree that we make the connection to the hard times of today. It should be noted that Smith worked with musical director Paul Sportelli to layer subtle modern pop elements, including hip-hop syncopation, into Bart’s original 1960 score. It’s so subtle it’s barely noticeable, but just enough that it gives the 13-piece orchestra extra pep.
Once again, Smith has assembled a production of the highest possible quality and staged it in a way that maximizes both appeal and appreciation. If only all musicals with a large cast (Oliver! boasts 25) could be staged in the round like this. And if only all costume designers were given as much free rein as Wade Laboissonniere. From prostitutes to goths to glamour pusses, they’re all present, in high style.
Smith offers a production of Oliver! as twisted as ever — far more so than the 1968 movie adaptation most are familiar with. Tom Story and Dorea Schmidt giddily ramp up the macabre camp as Mr. and Mrs. Sowerberry in “That’s Your Funeral,” a delightful, slightly sinister song cut from the film. Jeff McCarthy as Fagin and Kyle Coffman as the Artful Dodger only add to this production’s appeal as two of the sweetest and most charming con men the musical stage has ever known. The two exciting, dashing, impressionable figures are right out of a rebellious boy’s dreams. Ian Lassiter struggles to be the dominant force called for as the abusive thief Bill Sykes. His portrayal pales in charismatic comparison to McCarthy and Coffman, but even more so to the actor who plays his lover Nancy.
With an innate ability to both command the stage yet also project an air of vulnerability, Eleasha Gamble is perfectly cast in the role. Headstrong but woefully misguided, she gets the show’s best number, the achingly beautiful “As Long As He Needs Me.” It’s the kind of diva showstopper straight out of a leading lady’s dream, and Gamble fully seizes the moment. She even ascends the stairs to belt the tune from the enormous, sturdy and expensive steel bridge set designer Todd Rosenthal constructed above the main stage, offering a second level as a way to heighten the action and create a greater sense of commotion, especially when everything falls apart.
As Oliver, Jake Heston Miller is awarded the show’s other memorable ballad, “Where Is Love?” Up until that point, halfway through the first act, Oliver is just your average orphan boy — blending in with the Workhouse Boys, singing his parts in the group number “Food, Glorious Food” and moving equally well as part of the energetic, impressive choreography by Parker Esse. But then, as he prepares for sleep in a coffin, Miller, all of nine years old, gives a full display of his preternatural vocal ability.
Smith found Miller only after “an extensive citywide casting search.” And he wasn’t picked as the lead but a lead: Miller was originally scheduled to rotate in the role with another boy, who ultimately withdrew. Lucky for Miller, lucky for us.
Oliver! runs to Jan. 3 in the Fichandler at Arena Stage, 1101 6th St. SW. Tickets are $50 to $99. Call 202-488-3300 or visit arenastage.org.
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