Review: Greasepaint Youtheatre Presents OLIVER!

"Please, sir. I want some more." Imagine the impudence of a sad-eyed and famished orphan asking the master of the bleak workhouse for another bit of gruel. It's a sordid situation in which young Oliver Twist finds himself, but it is one step in his circuitous journey to salvation. It is also the circumstance that Charles Dickens used to reveal the hypocrisy and greed of the mean streets of early 19th Century London.

Lionel Bart's highly acclaimed musical version of the Dickens story is not drawn as darkly as the novel or the film versions, but it still gets the charity-and-lovingkindness message across and has a relevance that resonates still 55 years after its London premiere.

Now, on stage at Greasepaint Youtheatre, OLIVER! gets a solid and uplifting treatment by a spirited cast of young actors.

Jack Yampolsky is endearing as the tempest-tossed waif who suffers the push and pull of tides that transport him from the harsh regimen of Mr. Bumble (Sean Lillis) to the wily ways of pickpocket extraordinaire Fagin (Connor Baker) and his acolyte, the Artful Dodger (Owen Stewart), and then to the clutches of evil Bill Sykes (Jacob Emnett).

Of course, there are lights at the end of Oliver's tunnel. They are the saving graces embodied in such kind-hearted figures as Nancy (Breagh Watson), Sykes' ill-fated girlfriend, who cannot abide Oliver's treatment, and the adoptive Mr. Brownlow (Tommy Zachar), who discovers the tie that binds him to the boy.

There are many marvelous moments to savor in this show, directed by Dale Nakagawa. Molly Lajoie's choreography is artfully arranged, and, the ensemble, comprised of ages six to eighteen, doesn't miss a step or a beat. Jack Yampolsky's delivery of Where Is Love is nothing short of breathtaking. Breagh Watson infuses As Long As He Needs Me with the passion of an old soul. Sean Lillis and Allison Steward (Widow Corney) are hilarious in their turn as the lustful overseers of the workhouse.

The bottom line is that Greasepaint's production of OLIVER! is spirited and engaging and a remarkable showcase for some of the Valley's finest young talents. The show runs through December 20th at the historic Stagebrush Theatre in Scottsdale and is a worthy addition to any family's checklist for Holiday entertainment.

Photo credit to Laura Durant

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