Cameron Mackintosh's Oliver!

[ASOOS04]

Posted: 5/14/05 at 8:35pm

Hey y'all! I have a question. Did anyone see the First National tour of Cameron Mackintosh's production of Oliver!? If so, what did you all think?

[ASOOS04]

Posted: 5/14/05 at 8:35pm

Or did you hear anything about it?

[Thenardier]

Posted: 5/14/05 at 8:54pm

Go to his website for a link to the oliver website

[ASOOS04]

Posted: 5/14/05 at 8:58pm

Thanks, I don't need info on it. I just wanted opinions. All you chatters seem to be pretty well informed and was just curious if people had any thoughts about it. I mean it toured for over 18months and played every major clear channel market so I am sure there are people on here who saw it.

[theatrespaz]

Posted: 5/14/05 at 9:05pm

I saw it last October and I couldn't stand it. It was horrible save for a couple cast members. Everytime the kids (including Oliver) sang, I cringed. Skip it!

[ASOOS04]

Posted: 5/14/05 at 9:08pm

Ok.....well...no choice but to skip it. The show closed on March 20th in W. Palm Beach. Who's performances did you enjoy and in what city did you see it?

[theatrespaz]

Posted: 5/14/05 at 9:12pm

I saw it in Tucson. My favorites were the two lead adults. Fagin played by Mark McCracken and Nancy played by Renata Renee Wilson. They were the only bright spots in an otherwise dismal show. There just didn't seem to be any life in it. Disappointing to say the least.

[ASOOS04]

Posted: 5/14/05 at 9:13pm

Renata is amazing! She will be joining "We Will Rock You" in Vegas.

[theatrespaz]

Posted: 5/14/05 at 9:17pm

Really! I haven't seen that show yet and was planning on it when I'm there in late July. Do you know if she'll be in by then?

[ASOOS04]

Posted: 5/14/05 at 9:19pm

She will definitely be in by July, she is currently in rehearsals.

[Jwei123]

Posted: 5/14/05 at 9:20pm

ASOOS04- what can you tell me about Justin Pereira? Any upcoming projects...?

[ASOOS04]

Posted: 5/14/05 at 9:24pm

Unfortunately Justin was before my time, so I know nothing of his goings on. Although, I imagine he is just enjoying being a kid.

[ASOOS04]

Posted: 5/14/05 at 9:26pm

Did you see Justin in the role? Did you enjoy his performance?

[Jwei123]

Posted: 5/14/05 at 9:27pm

I didn't catch it, but I heard he was great!

[ASOOS04]

Posted: 5/14/05 at 9:28pm

as did I? Ryan Tutton who closed the show, had a shaky start but was actually really charming.

[BlueWizard]

Posted: 5/14/05 at 9:36pm

Is this the one directed by Sam Mendes? I saw the production in 1999 when it was making its North American premiere in Toronto; at this time everyone thought it was going to go to Broadway. This was the same production that had played at the London Palladium a few years back (1996?). It was absolutely dazzling, with a few star names in the lead roles. The show had the polished spectacle and honed energy of a fresh new megaproduction, and the cast of children were spectacular. The production also had one of the most impressive set designs I had ever seen (I believe it was designed by Anthony Ward?); at one point, half the stage split and was raised up 20 feet to reveal Fagin's elaborate hideout below.

I believe the show never made it to Broadway because of Equity issues (they had to pay all those children the same rate as adult performers, and they were quite a few of them). The current tour, from what I've heard, is an extremely scaled-down and bastardized version of the glorious production that had opened in 1999.

Updated On: 5/14/05 at 09:36 PM

[PB ENT.]

Posted: 5/14/05 at 10:10pm

Updated On: 5/27/05 at 10:10 PM

[BwayTheatre11]

Posted: 5/14/05 at 10:52pm

This non-Equity production wasn't the first national tour, was it?

[ASOOS04]

Posted: 5/14/05 at 11:11pm

Yes, there was only one National Tour opening in Fall of 2003 in Denver and closing March of this year in W. Palm Beach. This was the First National Tour of Cameron Mackintosh's London Palladium Production.

[YeahRight]

Posted: 5/15/05 at 2:41am

This show was always in trouble. A friend of mine whi lives in NYC went to an open call for Fagin. They had another open call the next month. Then had another Fagin open call two months later.

You get the idea?

But they never replaced the guy! No wonder it closed.

[ticenewyorkcity]

Posted: 5/15/05 at 3:32am

my good friend T Fowler was in the first national tour of this oliver as the strawberry seller. The show actually sold very well setting some records in some cities.

however the cast woes were difficult for her to deal with. she was a cover for nancy and was simply brilliant but we all knew that this tour wasn't where she needed to be

[LittleBitRacist]

Posted: 5/15/05 at 9:53am

I know a lot about this production, having seen it at least 5 times because the artful dodger (Andrew Blau) is my cousin. Justin Pareira lives in MD now, and did Christmas Carol at Ford's Theatre last year. In Oliver, Justin's acting was good but by the end of his run he looked totally miscast...he is definitely not a "mealy" boy. If i may say so, my cousin was the highlight of the show...Renata Renee Wilson was very talented but her performances often fell flat. She was/is dating Shane who played Bill Sykes, so supposedly both her and his performances varied depending on what personal issues they were having. Mark McCraken was obviously a comedic actor, and portrayed Fagin more as a witty old man, which worked for me but not a lot of other people. Ryan Tutton grew SO much in the role from when he first started, and by the end he was very good. The big scenes were beautiful, and i really enjoyed all the little kids performances because they had so much energy,

[ASOOS04]

Posted: 5/15/05 at 11:55am

those open calls were simply for a new fagin cover. The show sold extremely well and played every major market. To go out for a 3rd year on the road, it would have to play split weeks in MUCH smaller markets. Cameron Mackintosh would not approve the scaling down of this production to facilitate playing such venues. The closing came after a highly successful run of over 500 performances and had NOTHING to do with poor production values, performances, audience response or ticket sales.

[LittleBitRacist]

Posted: 5/15/05 at 11:58am

this isnt meant to be rude or anything, ASOOS, but why are you so interested in this particular production, and a little bit defensive? Are you like an undercover Oliver tour cast member or something?

[ASOOS04]

Posted: 5/15/05 at 12:05pm

Yes, actually, I am a former cast member of this production. A production, that I was very proud of...I closed the show and artistically it was the highlight of my career thus far. Everyone can have their opinions, but if gossip about it goes around, I just want to clear it up as I am ACTUALLY informed on the subject as opposed to the usual "I have a friend who has a cousin who rides the bus with a guy who works with this kid who's sister has a callback for 'hairspray' and she said...."