Cottage Theatre's 'Oliver!' has its moments.

Byline: REVIEW By Paul Denison The Register-Guard

Some of the time, it's "food, glorious food" for the senses. At other times, it's half a bowl of gruel.

The Cottage Theatre production of "Oliver!" has good music, good choreography, good costumes and strong performances by several individuals.

It also has some distracting technical and performance problems that undermine the emotional appeal of all the good stuff.

Lionel Hart's musical has many memorable songs, including "Food, Glorious Food," "Where Is Love?", "Consider Yourself," "Pick a Pocket or Two," "It's a Fine Life," "I'd Do Anything," "Who Will Buy?" and "As Long As He Needs Me."

With a couple of exceptions, director-choreographer Pamela Lehan-Siegel and vocal director Susan Goes get the most out of these numbers and other less familiar numbers.

Harold Turnquist and Gloria Vanderhorst act and sing well in the comic duet "I Shall Scream," as do Larry Maltz and Jay Searle in the cheerily ghoulish "That's Your Funeral."

Mike Tripp shines as a song-and-dance Fagin in both ensemble numbers and the solo "Reviewing the Situation."

Kristina Seleshanko shows anguished passion in a powerful performance of Nancy's signature song, "As Long As He Needs Me."

Holly Laycock plays the Artful Dodger but should be listed in the program as the Artful Dancer, which she is, remarkably graceful right to the tips of her fingers.

Generally speaking, when everyone's singing and dancing, this show is more than OK.

It would be much better, however.

Kaitlyn Sage, who plays the title role, has exactly the right size and sweetly innocent air to bring out everyone's protective impulses. She also has a sweet voice, but it's not strong enough to carry Oliver's two best songs, "Where Is Love?" and "Who Will Buy?"

It doesn't help that music director Gene Slayter's capable pit orchestra plays too loudly most of the time. Coupled with difficult British accents and the generally quick tempos (even on "Who Will Buy?"), the instrumental volume makes it hard to catch all the lines of some quite witty songs. You get the drift, but not the delicious details.

Overall, the show's noise level and energy level may be too high for the room, and the pacing too fast to allow for humor and heart, of which this show should have plenty.

Lehan-Siegel has actors constantly coming and going through the audience. This is an effective way to keep a big show moving in a small space, but it's done so busily and noisily that it becomes distracting.

The show also has some sound problems, as if there were dead spots, or body mikes were cutting out, usually when actors are just speaking.

That problem probably can be fixed. So can another one, an alarmingly wobbly wall on a hinged set piece. The sets, designed and painted by Jim Evangelista, are otherwise effective, creating eight different places but leaving plenty of room for movement.

There's not much room for acting in "Oliver!" and that's a good thing. In this large community theater cast, which includes many very charming children, only three adults are clearly capable of carrying a scene when not singing or dancing: Larry Maltz (Mr. Sowerberry), Mike Tripp (Fagin) and Kristina Seleshanko (Nancy).

Davis N. Smith makes the character of Bill Sykes as menacing as he can, but his only solo, "My Name," is more ponderous than scary.

Susan Goes, Caroline Cramer, Heidi Turnquist, David Work and Joe Ortis do some fine singing as strolling street criers, and the adult chorus is strong, with a nifty harmony here and there.

Paul Denison can be reached at 338-2323 or [e-mail].

THEATER PREVIEW

Oliver!

When: 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays through April 23, plus Thursday performances at 8 p.m. April 14 and 21

Where: Cottage Theatre, 700 Village Drive, Cottage Grove 

Tickets: $16; student and senior tickets $14 in advance, (942-8001 or 942-9195)