Review: OLIVER at Rancho Mirage Amphitheatre

When my 8th grade English class read Oliver Twist, Charles Dickens’ exposé of the cruel and unjust treatment of the poor in Victorian London, I never dreamed it would become Lionel Bart’s poignant, award-winning 1960 musical Oliver. Just as other dramatized social commentaries by Dickens present tragic circumstances that lead to optimistic “Hollywood endings,” Oliver follows suit. Alas, Broadway Theatricals’ delightful production just ended its March 7 to 9, 2025, run at the Rancho Mirage Amphitheater.  See website below for future productions.

          Of the many engaging features and performances, the most notable were the showstoppers, directed and choreographed by Ray Limon.   The Act I Opening, “Food, Glorious Food,” was beautifully designed by Limon and well executed by the Workhouse Boys (some played by girls), ranging in age from 7 to 13. Most of these talented youngsters are participants in the youth program sponsored by Desert Theatricals’ Foundation and the City of Rancho Mirage.

Nancy (Michelle Estrade) and Ensemble opened Act II with the lively  “Oom-Pah-Pah.”  The Ensemble for this and other production numbers included Jessica Lenz, Joan Vento-Hall, Charlotte Upp, Alexandra Di Pierro, Rita Wagner, Lola Bondurich, Katie Piron, Matilda Broomfield, Jason Mannino, Timothy McIntosh, Michael Hamlin, Cole Forsythe, and Robert Neil.

Following the growing popularity of enhancing minimal sets with projections, this production of Oliver followed suit.  Careful to provide sufficient set pieces to ensure context, choreographer Limon took advantage of the spacious Amphitheater stage for production numbers and creative blocking. His choreography for Bet (Maisie Maneer) allowed her to fully demonstrate her dancing talent.

          Robert Hoyt’s portrayal of Mr. Bumble was convincing. Audiences either love or hate the “meanie,” and Hoyt gave them plenty to love or hate with his marvelous voice and stature.  I saw Jonathan Pryce play Fagin at The London Palladium in 1994.  Doug Carfrae’s depiction of Fagin is a reminder how a carefully crafted character can be brought to life effectively despite completely different interpretations.

          Michelle Estrada’s beautiful voice and vocal range brought cheers from the audience “As Long As He Needs Me.”  Xavier Brown was a charming Artful Dodger. Jason Mannino (Mr. Sowerberry and others) has been sharing his talent with this and other Coachella Valley productions. Kudos to Sam Rekuc (Oliver), Jeffrey Scott Adair (Bill Sykes), Julie Schwaben (Widow Corney), Joanne Mulrooney (Mrs. Sowerberry), Don Savage (Mr. Brownlow), Timothy McIntosh (Dr. Grimwig), Joan Vento-Hall (Old Sally), Jessica Lenz (Mrs. Baldwin) and Neven Wegner- Owsley (Noah Claypoole and Captain).

Several technical issues were noticeable. The upstage lighting left faces in the dark, and shadows sometimes obscured the faces of those wearing caps. Because the projected illustrations were not as distinct as some I’ve seen, visibility of the illustrations would have improved from some adjustment.

Earlier I mentioned the youth program by Desert Theatricals Foundation in conjunction with the City of Rancho Mirage. The specific purpose of this program is to promote theater arts to the youth of Coachella Valley and the Greater Inland Empire through free classes in theater arts, training in musical theater productions, and scholarship funds for Coachella Valley youth who are interested in pursuing a degree or a career in performing arts.  For more information about this impressive undertaking as well as upcoming productions, visit DT-Foundation.org.