(Pic by Val Adamson)
Charming and
adorable performances from the workhouse orphans. (Review by Keith Millar)
The first
production for 2015 by the Durban University of Technology Drama and Production
Studies Department is Lionel Bart’s fabulous musical, Oliver!, which is based on Charles Dickens classic novel, Oliver Twist.
The production runs
until March 28 at DUT’s Courtyard Theatre.
It is an ambitious
project as Oliver! is a huge, lavish
and extravagant musical and to present it with the limited space and facilities
available at the Courtyard Theatre is a real challenge. However, the staff and
students of DUT have risen to this challenge and produced a version which is by
and large very acceptable, entertaining and charming.
The production
features 55 first, second and third year students, and 12 children from the community
who were chosen after two rounds of auditions. Musical accompaniment is by live
piano, excellently played by Richardt Wissink. The set which is utilitarian and
effective is designed by Peter Court and built by Jimmy Alberts. Musical
direction is by Madlen Tzankova and choreography is by Mdu Mtshali. Directing
the entire operation is Dr Pamela Tancsik.
Oliver! is a feel-good story of young
Oliver Twist whose mother died during childbirth. He grows up in a Victorian
workhouse, or orphanage, until he is sold as child labour at the age of 11 to
an undertaker. He eventually runs away joins a street gang. Ultimately, he is
found and adopted by his grandfather, Mr Brownlow.
Along the way he
meets many colourful and eccentric characters such as the head of the
workhouse, Mr Bumble, the Artful Dodger, the leader of the street gang, Fagin,
the kind hearted Nancy and the evil Bill Sykes.
Director Tancsik
recognised that issues prevalent in Victorian London, such as poverty, street
children, theft, child labour and violence against woman and children are still
social problems today. Therefore, she re-set the musical in modern day Durban.
This works quite well except for a few occasions when the sheer Englishness of
the piece seems to be at odds with the South Africanised characters.
The musical is
packed memorable songs such as Food
Glorious Food, Oliver!, Consider Yourself,
You’ve got to Pick a Pocket or Two, As Long as He Needs Me, I’d Do Anything and Oompah-Pah.
In general the performances
of the students are solid and authentic, if at times a little over-acted. The
standouts for me were Nombuso Wanda as the Artful Dodger, Sandile Magagula as
Fagin and, as Nancy, Khethiwe Mzolo who has a beautiful singing voice and whose
rendition of As Long As he Needs Me was
one of the stand-out moments in the production.
However, stealing
the show was the group of children who played the workhouse orphans and members
of Fagin’s street gang. Their collective performances were utterly charming and
adorable. Aged between six and 12 years they light up the stage and perform
with abandon and a sense of real joy. Particularly six year old Alessandro
Hayley-Coplo who is rare talent and has every mother in the audience falling in
love with him. Never has W C Fields’ suggestion that actors should never play
alongside animals or children been truer.
As student
productions go Oliver! is one of the
more pleasant I have seen. It is always worthwhile to see the growth and
development of the next generation of performers.
Oliver! will be staged until March28 at Courtyard Theatre at the Steve Biko
Campus of the university.. Performances until March 27 are at 19h00 and on
March 28 at 15h00.Tickets R50 (R25 children). For more information contact the
Departmental Secretary, Lebo hang Sibisi on 031 373 2194 or email: lebohangs@dut.ac.za - Keith Millar
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