On May 4th and 5th, Fairfield Ludlowe High School's Drama Club performed the musical "Oliver". Local writer Steven Gaynes attended a performance and contributed the following review to Fairfield HamletHub.
I CONSIDERED MYSELF SO AT HOME AT "OLIVER"
My new retail work schedule, unfortunately, includes some weekends so I haven't been able to attend this spring's theater performances at Fairfield Warde and Fairfield Woods, which I heard were absolutely terrific. Fortunately, however, I caught a break and my wife and I attended the Saturday matinee of one of our favorite musicals,"Oliver", based on Charles Dickens' character, Oliver Twist, at Fairfield Ludlowe High School.
Ms. "K", aka Frances Kondziela, always does such a wonderful job with these productions. Like other musical directors across the district, Ms. K has a knack for picking her characters to ensure that, from the opening number, "Food, Glorious Food", wherein a group of hungry children in an 1850 London workhouse marched in for their daily portion of gruel, we were quickly caught up in "Oliver's" delightful web.
After that beautifully choreographed production number, there was that tense moment when Grant Clark as Oliver Twist marched to the server, asking, "Please sir. I want some more!" And as the evil Mr. Bumble, played adeptly by James Purcell, and the equally nasty Widow Corney, played by Kaitlyn Carruthers, who has stolen the show in other Ludlowe productions, prepare to turn Oliver out into the cruel world, the real story unfolded.
This particular musical is filled with incredible, lively and memorable production numbers, offering these talented students incredible opportunities to really let loose, and the orchestra provided magnificent backup. For instance, when Jared Bovine as the Artful Dodger burst into "Consider Yourself," one of the signature numbers in the show. we thought he was a real show stopper. Jared sang and acted as if he'd stepped right off Broadway and onto the Ludlowe stage. This young man was incredible and he has a real future if he pursues it.
Will Powers' sly rendition of "You've Got to Pick a Pocket or Two", a rousing production number in honor of Oliver's arrival, provided a snapshot into the comic and charming band of miniature thieves that Fagin and the Dodger have coached. How could one think ill of any one of these delightful pickpockets?
What a talent Katie Middleton—Nancy—has! From her first production number, "It's a Fine Life", acknowledging her role in helping the little band of pickpockets, to her magnificent and touching rendition of "As Long As He Needs Me", she had the audience in her grasp. It wasn't difficult to see how conflicted Nancy was, but how committed in the end to doing the right thing.
Who wouldn't be touched by Grant Clark's Oliver? He looks like the perfect Dickens character – cherubic, but spunky, tough and so passionate about wanting to find his mother and a family who will love him. After being sold to a local undertaker, he offers a touching "Where Is Love" to touch everyone's heart strings. And throughout the production, Grant Clark showed us a versatile and warm Oliver, desperately hoping to find a home with Mr. Brownlow, the man who later learns that the boy is a long-lost grandson.
Another memorable number for me in this latest Ludlowe musical success was Fagin's "I'm Reviewing the Situation", wherein he has one weak moment as he considers his greedy life over honesty. Will Powers really came through in this number, showing us the sleazy pickpocket grappling with his own moral psyche. He nailed Fagin's character and belted out the ending.
"Oom Pa Pa" was the other uplifting song that made this show so enjoyable. Set in the town square with all the key characters in "Oliver", this fun production number gave a lot of exposure to Nancy, Fagin, the Dodger and the playful band of pickpockets who slithered in and out of the crowd, lifting wallets and other trinkets.
What struck me as the finale ended and the curtain closed was how quickly the two-plus hours had passed. Ms. K's talented team had kept us riveted to our seats and really made us part of the "Oliver" family. I took the liberty of asking Ms. K what she thought had really contributed to this successful performance and here is what she told me:
"I really love the show itself. It has great Dickens characters and important messages. I would like to say that this is one of the nicest group of students that I have ever had the pleasure to direct. We all enjoyed working together. And we all had an extraordinary experience when I was able to contact a Broadway dialect coach, Stephen Gabis, to come for an afternoon to work with the entire cast and me to conquer the British dialects (posh-upper class and Cockney). He went through the entire script with us, almost line for line. It was such a rewarding and new experience for everyone."
Steven Gaynes can be reached at steven.gaynes@yahoo.com
PHOTO: Will Powers, far left, plays Fagin in Fairfield Ludlowe High School Drama Club's production of Lionel Bart's 'Oliver!,' while Katie Middleton, center, portrays Nancy and Tim Dutter, far right, plays Bill Sykes. (Photo Credit: Fairfield Citizen News)