BWW Reviews: Adventure Theatre MTC's OLIVER! Brings Bit of London to Bethesda

In a departure from its usual one-act productions geared toward young audiences, Maryland-based Adventure Theatre Musical Theatre Center (MTC) is staging its first full-length, two-act musical. The choice? Lionel Bart's Oliver! - based on the Charles Dickens novel. In even more of a departure from the norm, the production is being staged at Round House Theatre's 400-seat home in Bethesda instead of at Adventure Theatre MTC's usual digs in Glen Echo Park. With this move, comes numerous opportunities for more elaborate sets and other technical elements and, perhaps more importantly, to showcase a large cast that includes two of Washington, DC's best musical theatre actors, other local actors of varying capabilities, and a slew of young performers receiving training from the theatre company's educational department. The production is not without its challenges, but one has to certainly admire Producing Artistic Director Michael J. Bobbitt's drive to push the theatre to the next level.

Oliver, of course, is the story of the endearing and courageous pint-size orphan (Franco Cabanas) who makes the transition from Mr. Bumble (Dann Pushkin) and the Widow Corney's (Melynda Burdette) workhouse, to working for Mr. Sowerberry (Keith Richards) - an undertaker - and his wife (Marni Ratner Whelan). An altercation with another young employee leads the pair to seek out Mr. Bumble to determine what to do with the boy, but Oliver escapes. He finds a place to belong with another young boy, known as the Artful Dodger (Jake Foster), a merry band of other boys (and in this production, girls) who pick pockets on the streets of London for Fagin (established DC actor/director/producer Rick Hammerly). Also among the deviant crew are pub worker Nancy (another established DC actress, Felicia Curry) and Fagin's associate Bill Sykes (Greg Twomey) - the not-so-kind man that Nancy inexplicably loves. A pickpocketing attempt gone wrong (or right) leads Oliver to Mr. Brownlow (Keith Richards) who may provide hope of a happy life for Oliver, but obstacles - namely Bill Sykes - potentially stand in the way.

While there are elements of Oliver that are likely to appeal to young audiences (fun songs like "I'd Do Anything," "Consider Yourself," and "Oom-Pah-Pah," for example) any theatregoer familiar with this British musical hit - or the source material for that matter - will realize that there are numerous darker undertones within the story. While some of these more thematic elements have been toned down for this production, it remains unclear if this is the kind of musical that will appeal to Adventure's core audience. That being said, it may appeal to other audiences. Namely, the broader audience base for musical theatre in Washington, DC.

Certainly, the production boasts some considerable acting talent. Cabanas has played the title role before in a community theatre production, but there's no sense of been there, done that with his heartbreaking and very well sung performance. An engaging singer with the proper vocal range for well-known songs like "Where is Love," an adorable look, and some pretty decent acting chops are some of the qualities that this young performer boasts. No matter how you slice it, there's a very solid lead at the core of this production, which is usually half of the battle.

Likewise, Hammerly and Curry make an impression as usual in their respective roles. Through Curry's portrayal, one can feel for Nancy's plight and she gives us one of the best renditions of "As Long as He Needs Me" that I've ever heard. It's a pity that some (presumably) poor blocking choices on the part of director Joseph Ritsch- one of far too many for my taste - left a young actor tasked with moving barrels as part of a scene change to move in front of Ms. Curry as she sings the song. However, back to the acting... Hammerly gives us a dose of comedy and much more as Fagin. He sings the part very well and has good chemistry with the young actors. As Dodger, Foster is breath of fresh air. He holds his own with Ms. Curry - no small feat - on "I'd Do Anything." I look forward to seeing how his career progresses. Both he and Cabanas have bright futures.

The cast of young orphans also deserve mention for singing and dancing up a storm in a way that defies their young ages. Their energy and love for performing is certainly infectious. While I did find Rachel Leigh Dolan's choreography far too busy (case in point "Consider Yourself") and overdone and wish that she went with a "less is more" approach, the kids execute the moves that they are given very well. I only wish Ms. Dolan had not drawn seemingly all of her choreographic inspiration from Newsies and stuck to using movement to forward this particular story. On the other hand, Douglas Clarke's scenic design, Sarah Tundermann's projection design, Martha Mountain's lighting design, Eric Shimelonis' sound design, and Julie Potter's costumes add ambience and do well to establish the environment that Oliver and crew inhabit. William Yanesh's four-piece band adds value to the music landscape, even if I do wish that more instruments were employed to achieve a fuller sound.

Those missteps aside, Michael J. Bobbitt and company should be proud of what they accomplished with this production.

Running Time: Around two hours, including one intermission.

Adventure Theatre MTC's production of OLIVER! THE MUSICAL plays at Round House Theatre - 4545 East-West Highway in Bethesda, Maryland - through August 16. For tickets and other information, consult the Adventure Theatre MTC website.

Photo: Franco Cabanas (Oliver) pictured; by Mike Horan.

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