Oliver!
Oliver!
#1re: Oliver!
Posted: 2/24/05 at 11:58am
Really? I love OLIVER! It especially plays well when the darker aspects of the musical are emphasized (the Sam Mendes production was a wonder to behold).
I certainly enjoy it better than ANNIE, which really grates my nerves.
BlueWizard's blog: The Rambling Corner
HEDWIG: "The road is my home. In reflecting upon the people whom I have come upon in my travels, I cannot help but think of the people who have come upon me."
#2re: Oliver!
Posted: 2/24/05 at 12:00pmIreally just hate most kid shows. Most children have the most annoying voices that really just grate me. But yeah, you're right. Annie's worse.
Theatreboy33
Broadway Star Joined: 5/19/03
Gothampc
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/20/03
#4re: Oliver!
Posted: 2/24/05 at 12:24pmBW makes a good point. Any show that is way over done can be annyoing. I like Oliver.
If anyone ever tells you that you put too much Parmesan cheese on your pasta, stop talking to them. You don't need that kind of negativity in your life.
#5re: Oliver!
Posted: 2/24/05 at 12:33pmI totally agree...the songs I find mediocre with the exception of As Long As He Needs Me. As for the book, it probably would have been better off if a child wrote it. Even with the best production of the show, I found the script/book/music still terrible.
FranklinShepard-Inc.
Broadway Legend Joined: 8/25/04
#6re: Oliver!
Posted: 2/24/05 at 12:33pmI disagree as well, it has got one of the best scores of the 60s. And a good book as well. Yes, some of the kids are no delight to listen to, but the heck, many adult singers aren't either...
#7re: Oliver!
Posted: 2/24/05 at 12:35pm
You mean you don't like such gems as "Who Will Buy?", "Consider Yourself," "I'd Do Anything," "Where Is Love?", "Food, Glorious Food," and "That's Your Funeral"?
If anyone wants a good recording of OLIVER, check out the 1996 Cameron Mackintosh London recording (the production directed by Sam Mendes). The new arrangements are energetic and lush, and the kids singing aren't grating at all.
BlueWizard's blog: The Rambling Corner
HEDWIG: "The road is my home. In reflecting upon the people whom I have come upon in my travels, I cannot help but think of the people who have come upon me."
Updated On: 2/24/05 at 12:35 PM
FranklinShepard-Inc.
Broadway Legend Joined: 8/25/04
#8re: Oliver!
Posted: 2/24/05 at 12:37pm
true, the score beats a lot of the most shows that came after it.
But admittedly, "As long as he needs me" is one of the best ballads ever.
Theatreboy33
Broadway Star Joined: 5/19/03
#9re: Oliver!
Posted: 2/24/05 at 12:43pmThe great Jonathan Pryce is brilliant on the Mendes version recording. I wish I could have seen him.
Gothampc
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/20/03
#10re: Oliver!
Posted: 2/24/05 at 12:43pm
"But admittedly, "As long as he needs me" is one of the best ballads ever."
And nobody sang it better than Georgia Brown.
If anyone ever tells you that you put too much Parmesan cheese on your pasta, stop talking to them. You don't need that kind of negativity in your life.
#11re: Oliver!
Posted: 2/24/05 at 1:05pmI think OLIVER! is one of the best shows ever written. I was in a production 5 or so years ago, and it was amazing - actually, the kids were anything but annoying.
"If you are going to do something, do it well. And leave something witchy."
-Charlie Manson
#12re: Oliver!
Posted: 2/24/05 at 1:10pmI enjoy Oliver! I was in the title role when I was around 9, and I dont think I was annoying...
junglered
Broadway Legend Joined: 4/10/04
#13re: Oliver!
Posted: 2/24/05 at 1:17pmI like Oliver! and think that most of the music in it is terrific. "Consider Yourself", "Where Is Love", "Food - Glorious, Food", "I'd Do Anything", "Pick a Pocket or Two", "Oom Paa Paa", "Who Will Buy" and "As Long as He Needs Me" are all outstanding songs. Unfortunately, the production of Oliver! that hit Atlanta last year was sub-par. The fellow who played Fagan was particularly weak which brought down the whole production. Conversely, the kids were actually pretty good and the kid who played Oliver was an excellent dancer for his age.
Gothampc
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/20/03
#14re: Oliver!
Posted: 2/24/05 at 1:37pmBesides, if it weren't for Oliver! where would Dame Edna have gotten his/her start?
If anyone ever tells you that you put too much Parmesan cheese on your pasta, stop talking to them. You don't need that kind of negativity in your life.
#15re: Oliver!
Posted: 2/24/05 at 2:15pm
::wishing I saw Dam Edna in that::.. Personally I like the show overall "if" it has a strong cast. Like Annie, young Oliver has to be believable, childlike as well as have the little chops to pull off his songs. Artful Dodger,Fagin and Nancy, Bill Sikes all should be top notch. I too heard Pryce was delightful.
When that's in place, Oliver has a lot of appeal. The big choral numbers can be very entertaining. And the dark struggle between Nancy and Bill Sikes should be directed properly for the best balance of emotions.
The non-Equity tour I covered in Philly was sorely lacking in casting. The only stand out character was Artful Dodger. However the choral numbers "Who Will Buy" and "Consider Yourself" were wondeful. Sets and staging were top of the line.
I think the score is lovely too. Just my view.
www.pbentertainmentinc.com
BWW regional writer "Philadelphia/South Jersey"
#16re: Oliver!
Posted: 2/24/05 at 3:39pmI love OLIVER. I also think the film version is a masterpiece and richly deserved its Oscar as Best Picture.
"Blow out the candles Robert and make a wish. Want something, want SOMETHING."
#17re: Oliver!
Posted: 2/24/05 at 3:50pmthe original Sam Mendes production of OLIVER! at the Palladium was brilliant. ANNIE is waiting for that kind of adaptation as well...
Broadway Legend Joined: 12/31/69
#18re: Oliver!
Posted: 2/24/05 at 4:00pmim going to see oliver for the first time. is it like annie?
Gothampc
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/20/03
#19re: Oliver!
Posted: 2/24/05 at 4:06pmI've always wanted to see a sequel to Oliver where he is a Lord in Parliament. The Artful Dodger comes up to him one afternoon when Oliver is exiting his gentlemen's club and does a reprise of "Consider Yourself"
If anyone ever tells you that you put too much Parmesan cheese on your pasta, stop talking to them. You don't need that kind of negativity in your life.
Jon
Broadway Legend Joined: 2/20/04
#20re: Oliver!
Posted: 2/24/05 at 4:08pm
It's kinda like Annie... if Rooster got shot after beating Lily to death.
But yeas, it;'s about an orphan who eventually gets adpoted by a rich man.... after lotsa nasty stuff.... and the dog isn't cute and cuddly.
CrAzIaBoUtReNt
Leading Actor Joined: 11/26/04
#21re: Oliver!
Posted: 2/24/05 at 4:10pm
Oliver! used to be my favorite show, but then I got older and listened to RENT for the first time and fell in love with it. I wouldn't really call Oliver! annoying, but it is a little on the boring side. But I can listen to the song "Oom Pa Pa" about 100 times in a row and never get tired off it. 
The Grovers Corners Yenta
Broadway Legend Joined: 8/3/04
#22re: Oliver!
Posted: 2/24/05 at 6:22pmI wouldn't say annoyin butg. perhaps irritating at times. It is like Annie....these kids are in an orphanage living under horrible conditions and they suddenly break into song.
"Friends are the people you chose as family."....Me.
CurtainUp
Broadway Legend Joined: 4/9/04
#23re: Oliver!
Posted: 2/24/05 at 7:55pmIt's a kid shows, but the adult roles are brilliant. In my school's revue, 3 girls did Fine Life and it was SO FUN to watch. Following them, was a brilliant actor singing Reviewing the SItuation and was just phenomenal.
Rosencrantz: "Be happy - if you're not even HAPPY what's so good about surviving? We'll be all right. I suppose we just go on."
- from Tom Stoppard's Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead
joeybiltmore1
Leading Actor Joined: 2/22/05
#24re: Oliver!
Posted: 2/25/05 at 11:22am
I've always thought that Oliver!, like The Sound of Music, works much better as a film. If it's done on stage, the design better be top notch, the lousy orchestrations beefed up (key change, anyone?) and the kids incredibly well-rehearsed.
And I'm sorry, but I don't want to see a little girl play Oliver any more than I want to see a little boy play Annie!
The film is gorgeous to look at and listen to and boasts an absolutely perfect cast. The movie wisely cut some of the lesser numbers as well. PS - how about that Shani Wallis as Nancy in the film? I love her voice.
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