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Oliver!

Presented by Playhouse on the Square at Playhouse on the Square

May 14-June 6, 2010

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Based on Charles Dickens' classic novel Oliver Twist, Lionel Bart's musical masterpiece vividly brings to life the timeless characters in this beloved story of the boy who asked for more. Join Nancy, The Artful Dodger, Fagin, and many more as Oliver navigates the treacherous streets of London in his search for a home and a family. Featuring outstanding songs including "Food, Glorious Food," "Consider Yourself," "As Long As He Needs Me," and "Where is Love"- the beautiful score will stir and captivate audiences of all ages. Oliver! is "a glorious reminder of just how life-enhancing a musical can be." - Daily Telegraph.

• At-a-
  Glance

  • Venue Info

    Playhouse on the Square

    66 South Cooper
    Memphis, TN 38104

    Full map and directions

  • Admission Info

    Tickets: Adults - $35 Students/Seniors - $20 Children - $15 Opening Weekend - $20 Preview - $15

    Info Phone: 901-726-4656

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  • Dates & Times

    Dates:
    May 14-June 6, 2010

    Times:
    8:00pm - Thursday - Saturday
    2:00pm - Sunday

  • Accessibility Info

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    Add review/comment

    • Event Name: Oliver!
      "Review by George Conroy - ArtsMemphis Rants & Raver"
      Comment posted by: George Conroy - ArtsMemphis Rants & Raver from Memphis, TN, May 16, 2010
      

      Playhouse on the Square’s version of Oliver!—directed by Courtney Oliver (more about Ms. Oloiver later) —is a grand production that delivers infectious charm due largely to the boundless energy... Expand

      Playhouse on the Square’s version of Oliver!—directed by Courtney Oliver (more about Ms. Oloiver later) —is a grand production that delivers infectious charm due largely to the boundless energy and infectious enthusiasm of its energetic cast. Playhouse’s new venue continues to impress. Oliver! utilizes every inch of the new and larger stage with its enhanced space for clever scenic design, and large than life dance numbers that would have been impossible absent the new place. Oliver! made its 1960 debut in London’s West End. Small wonder the show is still so popular. Consider its cavalcade of memorable tunes: “Food, Glorious Food,” “Where Is Love,” “Consider Yourself at Home,” “I’d Do Anything For You,” and, of course, “As Long As He Needs Me.” Nearly anyone will recognize these, and the rest of the musical numbers are equally impressive. The cast of some of the best vocalists assembled lately on a Memphis stage pulses with emotion and melodramatic passion. Props and scenery are interesting. London looks a bit more contemporary than Charles Dickens, the author book Oliver Twist, might recognize. But the closing scenes staged amid the smoke and fog surrounding London bridge are reminiscent of a “Perfect Night for a London Murder”…which is exactly what occurs. The costuming by Rebecca Y. Powell is really period authentic, adding a good bit of London atmosphere. Dance, Baby, Dance! The infectious choreography, also directed by thye multi-talented Ms. Oliver, is cleverly staged and infectious, as cast members cavort through acrobatics, Russian cartwheels, handspins, aerials, and other amazing moves. The singing by cast/chorus, especially the eager youngsters, is crisp, bright, and professional. The performers themselves bring this version of Oliver! to life on stage. They clearly love doing the show, are fully involved in their roles, and go all out to sell each song and ensemble. A great performance of Oliver! starts with a good Oliver. Eleven year old Ty Lenderman certainly fits the bill, playing a winsome, lovable, yet feisty little tyke. He may have missed a few notes but not many, and he projected his character with confidence. He also proved physically resilient – poor Oliver gets knocked about quite a lot in this show. But young Ty can take a healthy shot, hold his own, and bounce back for the next production number. Our young hero is surrounded by a batch of quirky, eccentric, and occasionally dangerous adults—i.e., classic Dickensian characters—who pull him in all directions, some of them not very promising. Chief among these misfits is substitute dad and pocket-picker-in-chief Fagin, played and sung with oily relish by Dave Landis. Fagin’s right-hand boy, the Artful Dodger (an equally artful Steven Andrew Parker) marshals Fagin’s phalanx of boys into a formidably organized army of clever thieves. More ominous, however, are those shadier types who flit in and out of the shadows. They’re more interested in what they can do to Oliver rather than what they can do for him. Oliver’s bad experiences begin with the odious Mr. Bumble, Profit comes first for Mr. B. The welfare of his orphan charges is a far-distant second in the pecking order. Bryan Robinson portrays Mr. Bumble with an imposing presence and magnificent, grand, voice as he presides over his villainous character. Poor Oliver is next forced to reside in a funeral parlor with the equally unpleasant Mr. and Mrs. Sowerberry (David Ryan and perennial POTS uber-favorite Laura Stracko), another ill-bred couple benefiting from Dickens’ genius for picking names to match his sleazy characters. An even nastier fellow is brutal Bill Sykes (Rory Dale). We don’t meet him up close and personal until near the show’s end. But he personifies the London underworld and makes the show’s violent climax credible. Not everyone in Oliver! is a bad guy. Mr. Brownlow, genially portrayed by Parker Dinwiddie, is a decent fellow who ultimately does the right thing by Oliver. And Nancy (Hannah Dowdy) and Bet (Nicole Amanda Hale) attempt to do likewise. Adding to her own difficulties, the unfortunate Nancy has become Bill Sykes’ gal-pal. Her maternal affection for Oliver puts her on the path of no return. Vocally, Ms. Hale as Nancy shines with her renditions of the best songs in the show, especially her solo turn in “As Long As He Needs Me,”. The production is fortunate to have so fine a singer and strong actress as Ms. Hale’s Nancy. She is the perfect good bad girl, a tough moll with a heart of gold with just the right proportion of swagger and tenderness. She infuses her singing with a warmth, power, and conviction. And what a voice! Strong when it needs strength, tender when tenderness is called for, and all in all - - -my oh my how gifted! The orchestra sounded vibrant and real, I’d have sworn it was live, but I couldn’t see any musicians. For a recorded ensemble it seemed to produce a surprisingly full sound. I asked about it after the show and learned another secret of the new theatre. The orchestra is 100% live! No wonder it sounds so real. It is housed not in a typical orchestra pit, but underneath the stage itself, acoustically amazing. Oliver, the “Jill of All Trades” As mentioned earlier, Ms. Courtney Oliver directed and choreographed Oliver! She is such an unsung heroine of the Playhouse that this production of Oliver seems a fortuitous time to render kudos. Ms. Oliver came to Memphis and Playhouse from the University of Alabama where she earned her B.A. in theatre and English. Jackie Nichols, legendary Director of Playhouse, told me, “I am so proud of Courtney. She has grown up with Playhouse. She began nine years ago by doing marketing and she has grown into an indispensable prize here.” As an accomplished actress she has eagerly and distinctively played any role called for, both large and small, with equal enthusiasm and gusto… including personifying Peter Pan each Christmas season for four years. She has always eagerly done “whatever it takes” to make the shows and POTS the enviable success that it is, and that it might not be absent her very special dedication and absolutely unrelenting can-do attitude and style. Here’s what Playhouse Company Member Laura Stracko writes of Ms. Oliver in Oliver’s Playbill, “Thank you, Courtney, for your energy, inspiration, and ability to laugh.” Ditto, Courtney, from all the aficionados of Memphis theatre. Collapse

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  • Member Reviews

    Add review/comment

    • Event Name: Oliver!
      "Review by George Conroy - ArtsMemphis Rants & Raver"
      Comment posted by: George Conroy - ArtsMemphis Rants & Raver from Memphis, TN, May 16, 2010
      

      Playhouse on the Square’s version of Oliver!—directed by Courtney Oliver (more about Ms. Oloiver later) —is a grand production that delivers infectious charm due largely to the boundless energy... Expand

      Playhouse on the Square’s version of Oliver!—directed by Courtney Oliver (more about Ms. Oloiver later) —is a grand production that delivers infectious charm due largely to the boundless energy and infectious enthusiasm of its energetic cast. Playhouse’s new venue continues to impress. Oliver! utilizes every inch of the new and larger stage with its enhanced space for clever scenic design, and large than life dance numbers that would have been impossible absent the new place. Oliver! made its 1960 debut in London’s West End. Small wonder the show is still so popular. Consider its cavalcade of memorable tunes: “Food, Glorious Food,” “Where Is Love,” “Consider Yourself at Home,” “I’d Do Anything For You,” and, of course, “As Long As He Needs Me.” Nearly anyone will recognize these, and the rest of the musical numbers are equally impressive. The cast of some of the best vocalists assembled lately on a Memphis stage pulses with emotion and melodramatic passion. Props and scenery are interesting. London looks a bit more contemporary than Charles Dickens, the author book Oliver Twist, might recognize. But the closing scenes staged amid the smoke and fog surrounding London bridge are reminiscent of a “Perfect Night for a London Murder”…which is exactly what occurs. The costuming by Rebecca Y. Powell is really period authentic, adding a good bit of London atmosphere. Dance, Baby, Dance! The infectious choreography, also directed by thye multi-talented Ms. Oliver, is cleverly staged and infectious, as cast members cavort through acrobatics, Russian cartwheels, handspins, aerials, and other amazing moves. The singing by cast/chorus, especially the eager youngsters, is crisp, bright, and professional. The performers themselves bring this version of Oliver! to life on stage. They clearly love doing the show, are fully involved in their roles, and go all out to sell each song and ensemble. A great performance of Oliver! starts with a good Oliver. Eleven year old Ty Lenderman certainly fits the bill, playing a winsome, lovable, yet feisty little tyke. He may have missed a few notes but not many, and he projected his character with confidence. He also proved physically resilient – poor Oliver gets knocked about quite a lot in this show. But young Ty can take a healthy shot, hold his own, and bounce back for the next production number. Our young hero is surrounded by a batch of quirky, eccentric, and occasionally dangerous adults—i.e., classic Dickensian characters—who pull him in all directions, some of them not very promising. Chief among these misfits is substitute dad and pocket-picker-in-chief Fagin, played and sung with oily relish by Dave Landis. Fagin’s right-hand boy, the Artful Dodger (an equally artful Steven Andrew Parker) marshals Fagin’s phalanx of boys into a formidably organized army of clever thieves. More ominous, however, are those shadier types who flit in and out of the shadows. They’re more interested in what they can do to Oliver rather than what they can do for him. Oliver’s bad experiences begin with the odious Mr. Bumble, Profit comes first for Mr. B. The welfare of his orphan charges is a far-distant second in the pecking order. Bryan Robinson portrays Mr. Bumble with an imposing presence and magnificent, grand, voice as he presides over his villainous character. Poor Oliver is next forced to reside in a funeral parlor with the equally unpleasant Mr. and Mrs. Sowerberry (David Ryan and perennial POTS uber-favorite Laura Stracko), another ill-bred couple benefiting from Dickens’ genius for picking names to match his sleazy characters. An even nastier fellow is brutal Bill Sykes (Rory Dale). We don’t meet him up close and personal until near the show’s end. But he personifies the London underworld and makes the show’s violent climax credible. Not everyone in Oliver! is a bad guy. Mr. Brownlow, genially portrayed by Parker Dinwiddie, is a decent fellow who ultimately does the right thing by Oliver. And Nancy (Hannah Dowdy) and Bet (Nicole Amanda Hale) attempt to do likewise. Adding to her own difficulties, the unfortunate Nancy has become Bill Sykes’ gal-pal. Her maternal affection for Oliver puts her on the path of no return. Vocally, Ms. Hale as Nancy shines with her renditions of the best songs in the show, especially her solo turn in “As Long As He Needs Me,”. The production is fortunate to have so fine a singer and strong actress as Ms. Hale’s Nancy. She is the perfect good bad girl, a tough moll with a heart of gold with just the right proportion of swagger and tenderness. She infuses her singing with a warmth, power, and conviction. And what a voice! Strong when it needs strength, tender when tenderness is called for, and all in all - - -my oh my how gifted! The orchestra sounded vibrant and real, I’d have sworn it was live, but I couldn’t see any musicians. For a recorded ensemble it seemed to produce a surprisingly full sound. I asked about it after the show and learned another secret of the new theatre. The orchestra is 100% live! No wonder it sounds so real. It is housed not in a typical orchestra pit, but underneath the stage itself, acoustically amazing. Oliver, the “Jill of All Trades” As mentioned earlier, Ms. Courtney Oliver directed and choreographed Oliver! She is such an unsung heroine of the Playhouse that this production of Oliver seems a fortuitous time to render kudos. Ms. Oliver came to Memphis and Playhouse from the University of Alabama where she earned her B.A. in theatre and English. Jackie Nichols, legendary Director of Playhouse, told me, “I am so proud of Courtney. She has grown up with Playhouse. She began nine years ago by doing marketing and she has grown into an indispensable prize here.” As an accomplished actress she has eagerly and distinctively played any role called for, both large and small, with equal enthusiasm and gusto… including personifying Peter Pan each Christmas season for four years. She has always eagerly done “whatever it takes” to make the shows and POTS the enviable success that it is, and that it might not be absent her very special dedication and absolutely unrelenting can-do attitude and style. Here’s what Playhouse Company Member Laura Stracko writes of Ms. Oliver in Oliver’s Playbill, “Thank you, Courtney, for your energy, inspiration, and ability to laugh.” Ditto, Courtney, from all the aficionados of Memphis theatre. Collapse

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