View from the Green Room: Sell out ‘Oliver’ a big hit on the Mall
Director Vicki Graham works wonders with her huge cast.
The Vicki Graham Stage School presents ‘Oliver’ tonight as its end-of-year performance and shows don’t come much bigger than this. A huge child cast and an equally huge adult cast with multiple parts always makes for a fascinating evening.
Charles Dickens' works are epic in scope and the characters are all vital to the plot – even though they may only appear for a brief episode. So…casting Oliver isn’t the easiest task in musical theatre. Vicki’s stage school is blessed with an array of talent that allows two separate casts perform the blockbuster on successive nights to packed houses.
In fact, it’s a shame that the show didn’t run a matinee performance as well.
George McEvoy plays both nights and steals the show as Fagin with a performance far beyond his years. George oils his way around the acting space and his eyes are everywhere.
‘Reviewing the situation’ is wonderful, as is his rapport with everyone on stage. Noah Kelly does well as Fagin’s sidekick Artful Dodger. Stephanie Crowley (also Lucy Fitzgerald) is a formidable Nancy and here ‘As long as he needs me’ is a showstopper, while Rebecca Ward (also Aoife Devlin) plays a very sympathetic Bet. Jake Grant’s Bill Sykes (also Keeley McCann) is a nasty piece of work, while Rosalie Connerty (also Shane McGrath) and Hailey Morrissey (also Róisín Ní hÉithir) are a formidable couple as Mr Bumble and Widow Corney.
The Vicki Graham Stage School is blessed to have such an array of talent available. All the minor parts are well cast and are vital to the success of this musical. Sowerberry Undertakers are well served by Alfie Connolly and Amelie DeTourney (also Anna Power and Mimi Gajic); Erin Clifford’s Noah Claypole (also Aife Rellis) is suitably obnoxious to little Oliver, while Cian Ó hÉithir is just the perfect, loving grandfather Mr Brownlow.
Director Vicki Graham works wonders with her huge cast as do choreographers Ali Reville, Evan O’Hanlon and also Vicki herself. Musical Director Caoimhe O’Connor brings strong singing performances from the cast and stage manager Ash Crowley uses the minimalist set to great effect to keep the tempo of the show moving along smartly.
Georgi McGeary and Ava Kiely’s costume design is bang in period, while Wayne and Luke Brown provided the video projections.
The big chorus numbers – Pick a pocket or two, Oompapa, Who will buy and Consider Yourself are well staged and send us all out into a beautiful early summer night humming the tunes.
Well done Vicki Graham Stage School.
