Of all the adjectives people use about Charles Dickens, funny is
hardly one of them. However, Oliver!, the Lionel Bart adaptation of
the Charles Dickens’ novel Oliver Twist, deftly packs in humor with
the overall feelings of class division and desperation.

The first staging of the musical was in the West End of London
in the summer of 1960, where it soon became a worldwide sensation.
More than 30 years later, a new production of the hit play is
touring the country, with a 12-day stop at the Fabulous Fox
theatre.

By now, the story of Oliver Twist has become universally known:
Oliver is an orphan living in a London workhouse under meager
conditions and horrible treatment from the caretakers. One day,
Oliver builds up the strength to ask for a second helping of gruel
at dinner, whereupon he is promptly kicked out of the workhouse for
being lazy and gluttonous and sold to an undertaker. Oliver doesn’t
fare well at the undertakers, and soon is on the street alone and
hungry. Luckily he is picked up by Fagin, the adult leader of a
ring of child pickpockets. Even though Fagin deals with the filth
of the city, he is surprisingly chipper and shows a great fondness
for the children. However, Oliver’s stay with Fagin is short-lived,
as he is picked up for pickpocketing and becomes involved with the
notorious thug, Bill Sykes.

This is actually much more of a children’s musical than the plot
may suggest. Workhouse caretakers Mr. Bumble (Ken Clement) and
Widow Corney (Gwen Eyster) make for great comic relief with their
off-the-wall personas and love/hate relationship. Justin S. Pereira
takes the starring role as Oliver with poise and confidence.
However, his close calls with his voice suggest that he might be
outgrowing the role in more ways than one. The show-stealer,
though, is 10-year-old Nathaniel A. Cherry, who takes on the minor
role of a handwalker. He has few lines, but his bubbling enthusiasm
and energy shine during his dance routines and ensemble pieces. It
seemed as though whenever he took center stage, the audience truly
took notice.

This probably isn’t the ideal musical for the average college
student. From the songs to the story, to the overall production,
this is far more geared toward a family audience than a more mature
audience. Still, if your parents happen to get tickets for you,
don’t be afraid to unleash the inner child and enjoy a timeless
musical.