AMATEUR THEATRE REVIEW: Oliver! - The Art Theatre, New Mills. Derbyshire.

This production celebrated 100 years of the New Mills Amateur Operatic Society and what better way of celebrating than by putting on one of the most ambitious and enduringly popular shows ever with a story harking back to the Victorian era (ok, the Art Theatre was actually opened in 1911 but it has the feel of a Victorian Music Hall).

There can be few people unfamiliar with ‘Oliver’, whether through the film or stage versions and over-familiarity can bring its own challenges. NMAODS successfully overcame this by staging not just a very slick production but creating an excellent set with twin swirling flights of steps and a central balcony imaginatively used to create a wide variety of scenes, from a London bridge to a genteel bedroom to a workhouse. Various light changes of a high backdrop of St Paul’s cathedral (reminiscent of the film version) helped create the mood associated with each scene. Another nod to the film version, which worked well, was to have most of the central characters wearing the same colours as their movie counterparts, notably Nancy’s striking red dress, Mr Bumble’s blue cape and Fagin’s iconic green coat. This was after all very much a production in its own right, able to acknowledge a masterpiece of moviemaking without compromising its own artistic integrity. The costuming overall was very effective, with the different social classes and various work outfit all easily identifiable.

There was can be few shows where both the main characters and chorus have a more or less equal balance between adults and children and this provided an ideal showcase for the entire company. A lot of societies struggle to find enough young adult male singers but the cross section of ages was spot with this production. The boisterous enthusiasm of the cast was evident from the outset with the stomping ‘Food Glorious Food’ as the workhouse boys paraded down each stairway. Another showstopper, ‘Consider Yourself’ provided the opportunity for dance and even some acrobatics as the audience was presented with a cross-section of Victorian society including street performers (there was no internet back then). The culmination of the story with Bill Sykes trapped on the roof tops was handled with a dramatic crowd scene providing a fitting end to a powerful story very well told.

This production was particularly well-cast with Stewart Bowden putting in a sterling, comic characterisation as Fagin and Emily Hobson, with an excellent singing voice, bringing over all the complexities of Nancy. Darren Cooper as Bill Sykes actually made Oliver Reed seem endearing by comparison (no mean feat!). A notably very funny performance was Peter Bowler’s incompetent Dr Gremwig, coming down the steps in a manner worthy of Frank Spencer. Of course, no production of ‘Oliver’ can succeed without the two central boys and Ross Provart as Oliver and Isaac Fletcher-Shaw as Dodger each gave an endearing performance. Finally, in another display of remarkable attention to detail, credit must be given to Stanley, who gave a credible performance as Bill Syke’s dog Bulls Eye.

It is hard to imagine NMAODS have ever put on a better, more all-rounded, professionally handled production than this presentation of ‘Oliver ‘. Everything just sounded and looked right. The movement of furniture and props from scene to scene was handled so slickly that there was only one blackout and no front-of-curtain scenes. To carry that off, you need a combination of a skilled and enthusiastic cast together with nimble production and these came together superbly. NMAODS have set themselves a very hard act to follow!

Reviewer - John Waterhouse
on - 19.11.22