Oliver! The Musical: A rare theatrical feast
Akhil Pilapitiya as the Artful Dodger. Pic courtesy osc.lk/geckonet
Lionel Bart’s Oliver! The Musical that went on the boards at the Overseas School of Colombo last month had the audience enraptured with its numerous theatrical innovations and brilliant performances.
Directors/choreographers, Trae Hicks and Rachel Jackson had taken a calculated, clever risk with the script. Using “modern” street wear for costumes made a powerful statement about the currency of the themes within the play. The realities of Charles Dickens’ 19th century London are not distant from our own. The brown jumpers worn by the orphans, for instance, resembled jail attire. The set was devised along minimalistic lines, with the wooden structure representing the diverse spaces called for in the script. It served as the orphanage, Fagin’s lodgings, and the bridge from which many characters made significant entrances and exits. The wall of the set, embellished with graffiti that cleverly incorporated lyrics from the score, was reminiscent of a contemporary ghetto neighbourhood. The mark of a great director is to interpret, deconstruct, and re-invent; Hicks and Jackson, by disrupting convention, brought all these to realisation with extraordinary insight.
The traverse style theatre used for this production ensured interaction with the audience. It was a bold choice for a school production, yet the actors faced the challenge of stronger voice projection and good sight lines with confidence.
The 12-piece live orchestra was pivotal to the high quality of this production. Directed by Loretta Duncan, the musical score was handled with style and panache.The talented musicians supported the play with soulful refrains that enhanced its central elements of suspense, the comic, and the tragic.
The play opened with the orphans making a dramatic entrance, singing “Food Glorious Food”. Their voices tended to weaken at times, but the sequence was choreographed to powerfully highlight their plight.The ensemble, appearing as Fagin’s boys, Workhouse children, Workhouse Governors, and Pub crowd, was made up of students from Grades 6-12 and these colourful scenes were yet another testament to the directors’ vision. A vocally and visually stunning scene was the one in which the market sellers, Savannah Duncan, Becca Cragun, Liana Cragun and Alonzo Xante Suson added impeccable harmonies to form a melancholy strain as they peddled their wares.
Nehemiah Senaratne as Mr. Bumble, combined humour with the more insidious nature of his role as the owner of the orphanage. He was brilliantly supported by Widow Corney, played by Liana Cragun, who managed some tough notes with great aplomb. Together, they mesmerised the audience with the appropriate mix of comedy and villainy.
Connor o’Mahoney, playing Oliver, suited the role perfectly, tempering innocence with attitude. Each movement and facial expression depicted the inner mental state of his character. A highlight was his rendition of the beloved “Where is Love”, where he demonstrated deep emotion and pathos. Indeed, a very promising young actor.
Akhil Pilapitiya lit up the stage with his sassy portrayal of the Artful Dodger. His singing was quite extraordinary, and his clarity of speech, as well as the mastery of the Cockney accent revealed an actor with immense potential.
Matthew Douglas as Bill Sykes was harsh and sinister. While the edits in the script did not give him the opportunity to fully develop as a character, he commanded the stage. The first scene between Sykes and Fagin as Sykes brings home the loot, was particularly powerful, as Sykes did not utter a single word but still captivated the audience with his presence.
Sheruni Pilapitiya as Nancy, gave a truly memorable performance, exuding enormous stage presence. It was remarkable to watch this young actress explore the complexities of her character; as a tough street girl who was wronged by Fagin, but also as a young woman in love with someone who would never return her love. The vivacity in songs such as “Oom Pa Pa” and “It’s a Fine Life”, was sharply contrasted with the poignancy of “As Long as he Needs Me”. She delivered a West End/Broadway worthy performance, which had the audience breaking into applause even before the songs ended.
Seth Keerthiratne’s portrayal of Fagin captured the audience from his first farcical entrance. Fagin’s flawed character, and his ultimate realisation, were played out on a fraught and mature spectrum. He seemed to relish his musical numbers, dramatising them in perfect pitch. Perhaps we will see this actor on a larger world stage some day.
Other characters that stood out were Noah Claypole played by Joshua Jackson, Mr Sowerberry played by Virath de Alwis, and Mrs. Bedwin played by Anya Bhatia Arora. All these actors inhabited their roles convincingly.
The Overseas School of Colombo’s offering of Oliver! The Musical, was a theatrical extravaganza that raised the bar for High School productions.