'Oliver!' proves a rich delight for young and old
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Mark Indelicato as the Artful Dodger, left, takes orphaned Oliver, played by Joseph Serafini, under his wing.
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It's ironic that "Oliver!," the musical that opened the Pittsburgh CLO season Tuesday, is widely considered a family friendly show, dealing as it does with thieves, prostitutes, murder and child abuse.
But audience members of all ages showed every sign of loving the CLO's version of the musical, which boils down Charles Dickens' 900-page novel to a brisk two hours in which the orphaned Oliver starves in the workhouse, gets taken in by a gang of pickpockets and ultimately finds a real home.
The 7-year-old who accompanied this reviewer to the show stayed riveted throughout, and even the adults stopped fidgeting -- a state of affairs that seemed more to do with the quality of the performances and music than the events of the 19th-century London underworld.
Where: Pittsburgh CLO at Benedum Center.
When: 1 and 8 p.m. today; 8 p.m. Friday; 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday; 2 p.m. Sunday.
Tickets: start at $20.50-$70.50; half-price tickets available for children 3-14. 412-456-6666 or pittsburghclo.org.
The big production numbers such as "Food, Glorious Food" and "Oom-Pah-Pah" are smoothly executed and lovely to listen to -- "Who Will Buy," with its harmonies, is the standout of the evening -- but it's the individual performances that prove the real draw.
Dickens was the master of creating memorable characters on the page, and this production has assembled an impressive group of actors to give life to their quirks and passions.
Known to "Ugly Betty" television viewers as Betty's nephew, Justin Suarez, Philadelphia native Mark Indelicato lends some of that character's fashion consciousness to the role of the Artful Dodger.
Tricked out in shabby green velvet, Mark's teen Dodger struts London's back alleys as though he's trying out for the catwalk -- and it works. My first-grade companion proclaimed him her favorite part of the show.
Bethel Park sixth-grader Joseph Serafini certainly looks the part of the angelic Oliver, but this stage veteran -- he has seven CLO productions under his small belt -- also proves he has the singing and acting chops to match.
I've never heard a performer this young whose tone is as pure and clear, and director Richard Stafford has wisely advised him to give Oliver a personality, with a streak of rebellion and a joy in life that comes through in "Who Will Buy?" Joseph's heartbreaking "Where is Love?" was one of the night's high points.
First Published June 3, 2010 12:00 am
