Oliver! Lionel Bart musical a must see
Oscar E Moore from the rear mezzanine for Talk Entertainment.com
The White Plains Performing Arts Center has a big fat red hot hit for the holidays perfect for kids of all ages and it’s called Oliver! And the secret is out. WPPAC produces first rate Broadway caliber musicals with first rate talented actors. Period. You will have a great time at a reasonable price. With many of the musicals closing on Broadway this is a place that will flourish even more than it already has.
Recently the New York Times did a feature (November 16th, 2008) “Building a Love for Live Theater” – which basically said what I have been shouting about since I first attended a performance last year and have been shouting about ever since. This is a great place to see American Classic Musical Theatre. “Subscriptions are up. Single sales are up. Broadway actors and directors are clamoring to work here.” Yes. They are.
Many of the great cast of Oliver! have been seen at the WPPAC before. They are a growing repertory company. And I have never been disappointed. Sitting next to me at the Sunday matinee was a lady from Rockland – “just over the bridge.” It was her first venture to the theatre and she just gushed about how much she loved the show and that she would certainly be returning. And here’s why.
First presented on Broadway in 1963 Lionel Bart’s Oliver! is chock full of all time famous favorite Broadway show tunes – “Food, Glorious Food” – “I’d Do Anything” – “Consider Yourself” and “It’s A Fine Life” performed to perfection. The opening of Act II’s “Who Will Buy?” is particularly noteworthy.
From the artistic sepia toned set with movable stairs to accommodate the many scene changes by Michael Hotopp to the great costumes by T. Michael Hall to the terrific six piece orchestra to the fluid and watchful direction by Luke Yankee (he starred in his one man show Diva Dish and directed Man of La Mancha last season) to the original and feel good choreography by Melissa Rae Mahon and Sean McKnight to the excellent cast headed by the multi-talented Sidney J. Burgoyne as Fagin (he directed the stupendous Ragtime last year), to the incredibly vocally gifted Natalie Venetia Belcon (“As Long As He Needs Me” Nancy) to the adorable, angelic looking and clear of voice David Gabriel Lerner as Oliver, to the nimble and keep-your-eyes-on-this-lad for a big future Artful Dodger – Jason Edward Cook to all the youngsters in Fagin’s band of pick pockets – Gabriel Rush, John P. Geraghty, Christopher Gray, Alex Pasieka, Benjamin Milan-Polisar and Noah Silverman to the great character actors – Roland Rusinek, Christian Whelan, Cyrilla Baer, William Ryall, Jan Neuberger and Gordon Stanley. Well, you get the point.
Go and see and be happy. Running through December 14th. Tickets $35.00-50.00. Next up – “A Little Night Music” (March 5-22, 2009) and “Hello, Dolly!” (April 30-May17, 2009) See you there.
www.wppac.com
11-25-08
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