A LITTLE DICKENS DOESN'T GO VERY FAR.Byline: Evan Henerson Theater Critic WHEN DID MR. Fagin, exploiter of children extraordinaire ex·tra·or·di·naire adj. Extraordinary: a jazz singer extraordinaire. [French, from Old French, from Latin extra , get so kindly? Who jovialized the sadistic sa·dism n. 1. The deriving of sexual gratification or the tendency to derive sexual gratification from inflicting pain or emotional abuse on others. 2. The deriving of pleasure, or the tendency to derive pleasure, from cruelty. beadle BEADLE. Eng. law. A messenger or apparitor of a court, who cites persons to appear to what is alleged against them, is so called. Mr. Bumble? And how did saucer-eyed Oliver Twist, literature's most pure-hearted young doormat, become so spunky spunk·y adj. spunk·i·er, spunk·i·est Informal Spirited; plucky. spunk  i·ly adv. ? How telling it is that the name Charles Dickens appears not a single time in the program of ``Oliver!,'' the touring version of which plays the Kodak Theatre through Sunday. Admittedly the late composer/author Lionel Bart had an eye more toward family entertainment than fidelity toward the Victorian novel on which ``Oliver!'' is based. So much disappoints in this revival of Cameron Mackintosh's 1994 production that we'll not spill too much ink beating up the text. Suffice it to say, never have the plea, ``Fagin, these sausages are moldy moldy animal feed overgrown with fungus; the feed may be harvested and stored or be still in the ground. moldy corn disease see leukoencephalomalacia, fusariummoniliforme. ,'' and the reply, ``Shut up and drink your gin!'' been delivered with more good will. Rarely have workhouse orphans looked less downtrodden than the crew Graham Gill has singing ``Food, Glorious Food.'' Which figures. The starving and malnourished mal·nour·ished adj. Affected by improper nutrition or an insufficient diet. aren't renowned for their dancing abilities. Those kids - who also comprise Fagin's gang of thieves - simply never stop moving. How can they? So spare are the connecting scenes and dialogue that as the first act drags to a close, one plucky song seems to bleed into the next: ``Consider Yourself,'' ``You've Got to Pick a Pocket or Two,'' ``It's a Fine Life,'' ``I'd Do Anything,'' ``Be Back Soon.'' The prime directive from Geoffrey Garratt - who has adapted Matthew Bourne's musical staging from the original London production - appears to be, ``Whatever else you do, sell it. That should play well among the younger audience members, of whom there figure to be many. The rest of us can slip too easily into viewer autopilot. These musical numbers are busy, not vibrant. A notable exception: the rendition of the song ``Who Will Buy?'' which occurs midway through the second act. A revived Oliver (played by Justin S. Pereira) wakes up in a comfortable bed and stares out the window onto London at daybreak. Under the ghostly shafts of light (designed by Jenny Kagan), a florist (Deborah Bowman), milkmaid (Suzanne Fiore), strawberry seller (Theresa Fowler) and knife grinder (Michael McKinsey) harmoniously pitch their wares. It's a gentle and joyous number until - one scene later - it becomes a splashy splash·y adj. splash·i·er, splash·i·est 1. Making or likely to make splashes. 2. Covered with splashes of color. 3. Showy; ostentatious. See Synonyms at showy. ``let's break out all the colorful costumes'' chorus number. More often than not, the chorus shines brighter than the name players. Apart from being physically imposing, Mark McCrackin's Fagin possesses not much charm or covetousness cov·et·ous adj. 1. Excessively and culpably desirous of the possessions of another. See Synonyms at jealous. 2. Marked by extreme desire to acquire or possess: covetous of learning. . Instead of hating ourselves for loving the man, we're indifferent. Director Gill unwisely lets him cut lose with a bevy bevy a flock of birds. of rim-shot one-liners as Fagin opens his private stash stash Drug slang noun A place where illicit drugs are hidden and starts punning away. (Where's Mickey Rooney when we need him?) As ill-fated Nancy, Renata Renee Wilson possesses a belter's lungs and an occasionally brassy charisma. There's not enough stage time for her to justify that self-destructive love she bears for Shane R. Tanner's Bill Sikes Sikes can refer to: People
Pereira's Oliver doesn't trade on cuteness, but he's not a heartstrings- yanker either, and those tears at the end of ``Where Is Love'' could use some work. He can't carry the show, but fortunately the musical doesn't require him to. Musical theater is still relatively new to the Kodak stage, and there may yet be bugs to work out. Whether the fault lies with the venue or with Peter Grubb's sound scheme, acoustics were a major problem opening night. Easily half of the opening ``Food, Glorious Food'' was unintelligible. Ditto Amanda Lee Miller's Bet, who has featured sung dialogue in ``It's a Fine Life'' and ``I'll Do Anything.'' Evan Henerson, (818) 713-3651 evan.henerson(at)dailynews.com OLIVER! - Two stars Where: Kodak Theatre, 6801 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood. When: 8 p.m. today and Friday, 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday, 2 and 7 p.m. Sunday. Tickets: $30 to $95. Call (213) 365-3500. In a nutshell: Please, sir, I want some more ... quality. |
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