Review: OLIVER! at The Island Theatre

Oliver! is performing now through March 17 at The Island Theatre in Fleming Island. The musical portrays the story written by Charles Dickens. The audience follows an orphan boy, Oliver Twist, in London who is bounced from orphanages to thieves, to relatives he did not know existed. Oliver gets into trouble here and there just trying to survive the streets of London. The musical was greatly entertaining, and the cast is quite talented.

I was blown away by how much talented was encapsulated in such young kids! Oliver Twist, performed by Tristan Smith, was absolutely adorable and had a great voice! He was really able to make the audience feel empathetic toward his character. His solo performance in "Where is Love?" was very powerful and tear jerking. One of the most extraordinary voices was Nancy, performed by Cait Couch. She portrayed so much emotion in each scene she was in and her voice was just phenomenal, especially in "As Long as He Needs Me." The entire ensemble of children was also very talented. Their dance skills and ability to work together throughout every scene was impressive, including their big performances in "Food Glorious Food" and "Be Back Soon."

The adult cast was also great and quite funny, as well. Bumble (Randall Tompkins) and Widow Corney (Michelle DuChemin) were comical and had great chemistry and timing together. Fagin, performed by Mark Snitzer, was also great. Snitzer was very entertaining in "Reviewing the Situation." His physical acting and timing really added to the scene and made the audience laugh out loud.

It is also important for me to point out how flexible and professional the cast is. The sound was not working for a good 10 minutes before the show, when ultimately, they used a Bluetooth speaker to play the recordings. The cast was not phased in the slightest and was able to continue on as if nothing happened.

Oliver! is greatly entertaining with an incredibly talented cast. See it now through March 17!

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