STAGE REVIEWS : CURTAIN CALL THEATRE OFFERS A BLAND ‘OLIVER!’

“Oliver!” at Elizabeth Howard’s Curtain Call is not one of the dinner theater’s more memorable efforts. The play is a blend of Dickens and musical comedy (the book is based on “Oliver Twist”), but this flaccid production produces little of the flair expected of musical comedy and shows little understanding of Dickens’ sensibility.

Director John J. Ferola has approached the show with some good ideas--he’s streamlined the convoluted book by adding a voice-over narration a la “David Copperfield” and taken out a number of scenes and songs, most notably the “Who Will Buy?” sequence. Ferola’s choices seem necessary as well as appropriate, given the fact that he had to work with a less-than-spacious stage and around two intermissions.

In such close quarters, the focus of the show must be on the characters in this story of the orphan boy Oliver who falls in with Fagin and his band of young pickpockets. Unfortunately, the characters here are drawn too sketchily to sustain interest, and the energy level in most of the performances is low. Jeff Newman’s Fagin is of the no-frills variety; he shows little of the comic panache and bedraggled charm necessary to carry the role. Pippa Winslow sings beautifully but lets too many affectations mar her performance as the good-hearted barmaid, Nancy. Eleven-year-old Ryan Byrne is very mild indeed as Oliver (Jeff Christensen alternates in the role), and Stephen Smith brings an authentic accent and friendly manner rather than any real charisma to his performance as the Artful Dodger. As the villainous Bill Sykes, Dave Hutchinson is anything but menacing. Joe Collins, Adriane Coros, Dale Jones and Claire Peters, however, do yeomen’s service as various supporting characters. Collins brings wonderful style and vocal prowess to his dual role as the bored-with-being-bad Mr. Bumble and as the kindly Mr. Brownlow; Coros is fine as a London tart and also as Widow Corney; Jones goes from beggar to bobby, and Peters from harlot to housemaid, without missing a step.

Jeff Shaffer’s musical direction is satisfactory with the solo work, but his choruses frequently produce sharp notes as well as ragged harmonies and mushy enunciation. The smoothly moving storybook set is by the Theatre Company.

“Oliver!” continues through Oct. 27 at Elizabeth Howard’s Curtain Call, 690 El Camino Real, Tustin. Information is available at (714) 838-1540.