Oliver by 6th Street Playhouse in Santa Rosa

Oliver and The Artful Dodger

 OLIVER !

BY DAVE FICKBOHM OF THEATERKAT

The 6th Street Playhouse recently kicked off their 2009 – 2010 with the musical Oliver, for all its charm and beloved characters and songs, the production elements can be quite difficult. There are so many songs and scene changes that the production can easily become disjointed. The 6th Street Playhouse with some adapt scene creation by scenic designer David R. Wright pulled it off nicely. The plot line is also a bit slow, and the exposition building up to the climax is long This is a fault of the book and score, though, not of the actors themselves. Overall, the 6th Street Playhouse succeeds.

 Lighting Designer Eric Neumeister must be given recognition. The screen behind the buildings coupled with the soft lighting gave the feel of a London street at twilight. The costumes, by Pat Fitzgerald, were appropriate throughout, just as the set requires attention to detail, so do the costumes. The orphans looked raggedy, others at different classes of society looked very dapper and well dressed. Stage Director Holly Vinson did a fine job creating small but beautiful stage pictures and smooth, effective traffic patterns with a large cast. I also appreciated that she used the entire space, including crawl spaces below the elevated portion of the set and even a “rooftop” in one pivotal moment.

Bob Hazelrigg put together quite a wonderful orchestra to accompany the action onstage. The sound was well-balanced, and never intrusive or too loud or soft for the singers.

 Widow Corney and Mr. Bumble, are played by Tika Moon and Dwayne Stincelli, respectively. These two characters are nothing short of ridiculous, and were played very well. I felt as though both actors were holding back a bit, especially in the scene in which Mr. Bumble is making amorous advances towards the Widow Corney, who is half-heartedly objecting. Moon’s performance of “I Shall Scream,” however, was very well done. Her singing voice is beautiful and her facial expressions are reminiscent of Lucille Ball at times.

Sean Hines as the title character and Zachary Walling as the Artful Dodger left me wanting more throughout the production as well. Both young men possess wonderful singing voices, but I didn’t find myself rooting for their characters. Instead, I admit that I tended to forget about them completely when they weren’t onstage. When the action wasn’t completely centered around his character, Hines didn’t draw the eye. His voice was so sweet during “Where is Love,” however, that I felt my heart ache for him in that moment. Walling had all the smooth physicality and polish in his choreography needed to play Dodger. I must admit, ever since I left the theatre Friday night, I have struggled with what to say about the younger cast members. It’s very hard to find a way to review children, since they lack as much training and experience as the older cast members and cannot really be faulted for that. The children overall were very cute as the orphans and the members of Fagin‘s gang. They had lots of energy, gave 100% in their songs, and put a lot of physicality and spunk into the scenes.

 There were three standout performances in this production: Jon Rathjen as Bill Sykes, Jenifer Cote as Nancy, and Gene Abravaya as Fagin. The character of Bill Sykes is about as unlikeable as they come, and Jon Rathjen made quite sure that the entire audience felt that from his very f irst entrance. His gruff voice, dirty clothing, and generally surly attitude made me dislike Bill immediately. His cruel and rough treatment of Nancy and Oliver – or anyone weaker than him – is deplorable and makes him the true villain of the entire piece. He also stayed completely in character at all times. When I would glance his way during another line or song, he was always watching those around him or keeping a close eye on Nancy; always trusting no one. The character of Nancy is not your typical musical theatre ingénue. Nancy has obviously lived on and off the street most of her life. Currently she lives with the abusive Bill Sykes, whom she loves wholly and completely despite his physical and verbal abuse. However, Nancy’s spunk and maternal instincts towards Oliver make her a heroine just like any other. Jenifer Cote nails this role. She’s bawdy and unladylike at times, such as during her rousing number “Oom Pah Pah” at the beginning of the second act, but she is also a vulnerable woman desperately in love, which she shows off in “As Long As He Needs Me,” a song that Cote completely knocks out of the park. She uses a mixture of soft, gentle tones at the beginning and soars to a jaw-dropping belt that rattled the walls in her determination to stay with him no matter what the cost may ultimately be. I applaud Cote for not being afraid to sacrifice some of the “pretty” in her powerhouse number in order to really sell the song. This causes the song to have much more impact than if it were sung with perfect technique. Cote also succeeds in never breaking character.

Fagin, the leader of the band of pickpockets, is a tough one to pull off. He’s got to be a lowlife criminal who entices children to lie, cheat and steal for his personal gain, but also must be likeable at the same time. Gene Abravaya does a fine job of showing the duality of Fagin’s character. He simultaneously acts as a twisted sort of father figure to the group of urchins as well as a self-absorbed “bad’un” who will look out for himself, his worker boys be damned, before anyone else. Abravaya has definitely mastered the humor in Fagin, especially in his second act number “Reviewing the Situation,” in which he hems and haws about potentially leaving a life of crime to become a better man. My only criticism in Abravaya ‘s performance is that he only touched on the “evil” side of Fagin. I would have preferred to see a bit more of Fagin’s bad side in order to really understand the catalyst that causes him to start reconsidering his choice of lifestyle.

Other memorable and well-done performances included Sherri Guinn as the morbidly funny funeral director Mrs. Sowerberry, Kelsey Tarantino as Nancy’s younger but equally sassy sister Bet, and Scott Van Der Horst as the kind and generous Mr. Brownlow.

Overall, 6th Street Playhouselhasput together an aesthetically beautiful production with fine performances that audience members will enjoy. Oliver is a winner. Do not miss it.

 The 6th Street Playhouse will present You Can’t Take it With You by Moss Hart and George S. Kaufman, directed by Charlie Queary. Running Oct 2 – Oct 25.

INFORMATION WHAT: Lionel Bart’s “Oliver”

 WHO: 6th Street Playhouse

 WHERE: The G. K. Hardt Theatre in the 6th Street Playhouse at 52 West 6th Street, Santa Rosa, CA 95401

WHEN: Aug 14 to Sep 13, 2009 8:00 p.m. Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays 2:00 p.m. Saturday and Sundays

TICKETS: Order online; by telephone; at the door.

Fri, Sat at 8:00 & Sun at 2:00: General $35 Senior (62+) $28 Youth (13-21) $28 Children (5-12) $15

Discount Thurs at 8:00 & Sat at 2:00: General $25 Senior $20 Youth $20 Children $15

PHONE INFORMATION: 707 523-4185 WEBSITE: www.6thstreetplayhouse.com RATING: Four stars out of five