Oliver!

Oliver! The Hong Kong Singers HK City Hall Theatre Reviewed: Jun 18

First staged in London's West End in 1960 and probably done to death in school plays ever since, Oliver!, the Lionel Bart musical based on Charles Dickens' Oliver Twist, has lost none of its appeal today and the Hong Kong Singers' staging of it over the weekend reminds us why.

With a memorable score and some beautiful tunes, Bart injected much colour, and comedy, into an otherwise bleak tale of exploitation, greed and murder set in 18th-century England. Oliver Twist (Sior Graham) is a half-starved orphan at a workhouse operated by the manipulative Mr Bumble (John Tustin). After a bold request for more food, the boy is sold to undertaker Mr Sowerberry (Alex Sommerville) before making an escape to London. There, he meets a boy pickpocket, Artful Dodger (Michael James Ma) who works for petty criminal Fagin (Barry O'Rorke). Oliver also befriends Nancy (Kristina Lao, below with Graham), the devoted girlfriend of the terrifying Bill Sikes (Ciaran Love).

Under the direction of Phil Whelan (who also conducted the orchestra) and associate musical director Jacqueline Gourlay Grant (who played Widow Corney), the cast gave a spirited performance.

Ma has just the right, cheeky attitude for his role and his Consider Yourself and duet with Lao in I'd Do Anything were highlights of the show. Lao was musically expressive and gave a confident performance in her solo As Long As He Needs Me. O'Rorke did well to flesh out his character, especially in the scene when he gloated over his stolen treasures, while Sommerville was an eccentric , hilarious Mr Sowerberry.

Steve Gilliam's effective set design facilitated the scene changes while costume design by Katy Scott was spot on and enhanced the production's overall look.