'Oliver' is ready to take to the stage

KILKENNY Musical Society's 2010 production Oliver opens on Easter Sunday night for a week-long run at the Watergate Theatre. Rehearsals have been underway for over four months and the cast of almost 100 are now putting the final touches to what is sure to be a magnificent production.

“Please Sir, I want some more....” Oliver’s innocent request at the start of the show lands him in trouble and sets him on his famous adventure. Based on Charles Dickens’ novel Oliver Twist, the musical first opened in London in 1960 and has since enjoyed worldwide popularity. Full of gloriously rousing songs and a compelling storyline, Oliver promises to be one of the Society’s finest productions in its 37-year history.

Hollywood names up for Olivier theatre awards

Anderson and Weisz are contesting the best actress category for their turns in A Doll's House and A Streetcar Named Desire respectively, and are up against Imelda Staunton (Entertaining Mr Sloane), Juliet Stevenson (Duet For One) and Lorraine Burroughs (The Mountaintop).
Knightley was nominated for a best supporting actress award for The Misanthrope, her West End debut.
In the best actor category, Law is shortlisted for his portrayal of the title role of Shakespeare's Hamlet, while James McAvoy, also best known for his films, is nominated for Three Days of Rain.
With six nominations apiece are Lucy Prebble's Enron, about the collapsed U.S. energy trading company, and Jerusalem, Jez Butterworth's portrayal of less-than-idyllic life in rural England.
The Royal Court Theater garnered the most nominations with 15, followed by the Donmar with 10 and the National Theater with nine.
London's West End enjoyed a bumper 2009, with attendances rising 5.5 percent to 14.3 million and revenues 7.6 percent higher than 2008 at 505 million pounds ($790 million).
Following is a list of the main categories for the 2010 Laurence Olivier Awards, to be handed out in London on March 21.
Best Actress
- Gillian Anderson/A Doll's House
- Lorraine Burroughs/The Mountaintop
- Imelda Staunton/Entertaining Mr Sloane
- Juliet Stevenson/Duet For One
- Rachel Weisz/A Streetcar Named Desire
Best Actor
- James Earl Jones/Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
- Jude Law/Hamlet
- James McAvoy/Three Days of Rain
- Mark Rylance/Jerusalem
- Ken Stott/A View From the Bridge
- Samuel West/Enron
Best Supporting Actress
- Hayley Atwell/A View From the Bridge
- Michelle Dockery/Burned By the Sun
- Alexandra Gilbreath/Twelfth Night
- Keira Knightley/The Misanthrope
- Rachael Stirling/The Priory
- Ruth Wilson/A Streetcar Named Desire
Best Supporting Actor
- Mackenzie Crook/Jerusalem
- Rory Kinnear/Burned By the Sun
- Tim Pigott-Smith/Enron
- Eddie Redmayne/Red
Best Director
- Rupert Goold/Enron
- Michael Grandage/Hamlet
- Lindsay Posner/A View From the Bridge
- Ian Rickson/Jerusalem
- Bijan Sheibani/Our Class
Best New Play
- Enron by Lucy Prebble
- Jerusalem by Jez Butterworth
- The Mountaintop by Katori Hall
- Red by John Logan

Oliver chosen in D-League draft, Ex-UCD star

The Idaho Stampede selected former UC Davis standout Vince Oliver in the eighth and final round of Thursday's NBA Development League draft.
Oliver finished his four year UCD career last season as the school's third leading scorer all time. He led the Aggies with 15.4 points per game in 2008-09 and became the first UCD player to be named first team All Big West Conference.
Final NBA Development League rosters will set at 10 by Nov. 25, and the league will begin its ninth season on Nov. 27. The Stampede is located in Boise.
Neto leads Fullerton over UCD
Freshman outside hitter Kayla Neto, The Bee's 2008 Player of the Year in volleyball from Christian Brothers, posted 19 kills en route to a .400 hitting average to lead host Cal State Fullerton (14-10, 5-6 Big West Conference) to a 25-19, 25-22, 21-25, 28-26 victory over UC Davis (18-8, 9-3).
• Sacramento State's hopes of reaching the Big Sky Conference tournament for the 14th consecutive year suffered a blow when the host Hornets (15-12, 5-6) lost to Weber State (6-19, 4-9) 23-25, 15-25, 25-23, 25-16, 15-10.
Downing falls in world tennis
Nicole Hesse-Cazaux of France defeated Martha Downing of Shingle Springs 6-4, 2-6, 6-1 at No. 1 singles in the women's 60-and-over division of the International Tennis Federation Super-Seniors World Team Championships in Perth, Australia.
France, the top seed and defending champion, beat the United States 3-0 and will play second-seeded Australia today for the title. The Americans finished third in the 11-team tournament.
• UC Davis freshman George Horowitz won in singles and doubles on the rain-shortened first day of the Gael Classic in Moraga.
General
The UC Davis swimming and diving teams split against Denver at Schaal Aquatics Center. The men (3-0) won 160-135, but the women (2-2) fell 191-109. Adam Borchard, Alex Daneke, Jimmy Fong, Scott Weltz and Ashley Chandler each had two individual victories for the Aggies.
• The UCD field hockey team lost to Davidson 2-1 in overtime in a NorPac Tournament consolation game at Stanford. Lydia Brambila scored her first career goal as the Aggies (3-15) ended their inaugural Division I season.

In Oliver Street fire, Pets die

Fort Wayne firefighters battled a house fire Thursday night at 2522 Oliver St.
No one was home at the time, but several pets were removed. Two of them died.
Flames heavily damaged the kitchen and attic. The entire structure had heavy smoke damage.
Officials determined unattended cooking to be the cause, and the fire was ruled accidental. No firefighters were injured.

As Apache Cat pounces for Oliver, Hong Kong trip looms

MELBOURNE'S champion sprinter Apache Cat all but booked himself another trip to Hong Kong for the international meeting in December after he pounced late to claim yesterday's Schweppes Stakes at Moonee Valley.
The Greg Eurell trained star gained a rails run in the straight under the guidance of top jockey Damien Oliver to run down stablemate Mic Mac ($6.50) and score by a short neck.
''They made him earn it today,'' Eurell said of Apache Cat [$3.40], which contested the Hong Kong Sprint last year and came in third behind Inspiration.
''It's a big thrill, very rewarding to get him here and winning given he isn't getting any younger. (Age) is starting to catch up with him.''
Apache Cat is now a seven year old but Eurell said he was going ''as good as ever'' and he would miss the pair 1 Patinack Farm Classic to instead head to Hong Kong, where the plan is to run in the International Sprint Trial at Sha Tin on November 22 on the way to a start in the Hong Kong Sprint on December 13.
''The plan is a bit new to us,'' Eurell admitted. ''Last year they didn't have the lead up in Hong Kong open to overseas horses but now it is so I'd say we'd go there. Mic Mac will stay here and go to the Patinack Farm Classic (on November 7 at Flemington) and then he'll go for a spell. He'll be some horse next year.''
Speedster Lucky Secret led early in the Schweppes only to be pressured by the Gai Waterhouse trained Bank Robber ($16), which went to the lead and held on well to finish third.
Eurell said Oliver's ride, when holding his ground behind the lead on the rail and banking on the run coming, was more good management than luck for ''he is one of the best [jockeys] we've seen in Australia, and he'll be the best we'll see in a long time''.
Oliver told Eurell Apache Cat was ''a legend, isn't he'' while adding ''he's a star'' as the Moonee Valley crowd applauded their favourite baldy faced sprinter.
''He is a tough warhorse,'' Eurell said. ''Leading into today he was in very, very good order. And he has come out and defeated a very good field of sprinters. We have to be a bit careful about what we do with these days, there is no hiding the fact that we have to hold him together a bit to get him to the races. But he just keeps coming out and doing it against the best opposition there is on offer.''

Griff Rhys Jones to be the next star ‘Fagin’ in Cameron Mackintosh’s triumphant new producstion of OLIVER! at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane from 14 Dec

Cameron Mackintosh is delighted to announce that award-winning actor Griff Rhys Jones will be the next star after Omid Djalili to play ‘Fagin’ in the triumphant new production of Lionel Bart’s smash hit musical OLIVER! at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane from Monday 14 December 2009 until June 2010.

Cameron Mackintosh said “I’ve wanted to work with Griff for years so I’m delighted that the marvellous role of ‘Fagin’ has tempted him back to the stage this Christmas. Griff is an actor with an amazing array of successful talents, all of which will undoubtedly be poured into his unique and entertaining interpretation of one of Dickens’ most famous and beloved creations. I can’t wait!”

Griff is truly one of Britain’s most loved, versatile and prolific performers. Propelled to stardom in “Not The Nine O’Clock News” and “Alas Smith and Jones”, he won a double Olivier Award for his roles in “Charley’s Aunt” and “An Absolute Turkey”, starred in “Front Page” at the Donmar Warehouse and was an unforgettable Toad in the National Theatre’s “Wind In The Willows”. On TV he did three acclaimed series of “Three Men In A Boat”, (and will shortly be doing a fourth), urged the British public to vote for saving marvellous British buildings in “Restoration” and is currently enjoying huge success on BBC1’s “Rivers With Griff Rhys Jones”. He was last seen on stage in 2001 in “A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum” as part of the Covent Garden Festival. As a producer, he and Mel Smith set up one of Britain’s most successful productions companies, Talkback Productions. He was almost single-handedly responsible for the wonderful restoration of the Hackney Empire.

Jodie Prenger continues her enormous success as ‘Nancy’ and has now extended her run until March next year. In the role of ‘Bill Sikes’, Steve Hartley returns to the part on 15th September having enjoyed a huge success in the original run of OLIVER! at the Palladium in the mid-1990’s.

This production of OLIVER! opened at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane on 14 January to rave reviews with the biggest advance sales of all time for a West End show. The cost of this enormous production was recouped in only 18 weeks and continues to be the highest grossing show in London, playing to packed houses. Featuring a cast and orchestra of over one hundred, the sensational score is full of Lionel Bart’s irresistible songs including Food Glorious Food, Consider Yourself, You've Got to Pick-a-Pocket or Two, I'd Do Anything, Oom Pah Pah, As Long As He Needs Me and many more.

OLIVER! is directed by Rupert Goold, along with co-director and choreographer Matthew Bourne. Production design is by Anthony Ward; lighting design by Paule Constable and sound is by Paul Groothuis, with orchestrations by William D Brohn.

This production is produced in association with the Southbrook Group Limited.
OLIVER! is currently booking through to 27 February 2010. Evening performances are Monday – Saturdays at 7.30pm, with matinees on Wednesdays and Saturdays at 2.30pm. Tickets are priced from £17.50 - £65 and are available from the Theatre Royal Drury Lane Box Office on 44 (0) 207 403 0962 and online at The Online Ticket Shop.

Oliver! at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane

Rowan Atkinson on playing Fagin I The producer of Oliver! on his West End life

Mr Bean as Dickens’s gaunt, beaky Fagin? Rowan Atkinson as the sly old monster who ends up hideously squawking as he’s hauled to execution? That sounds less likely casting than Griff Rhys Jones or Mel Smith as the withered Scrooge. But then Lionel Bart’s Fagin isn’t quite Dickens’s Fagin. Indeed, he lands up, not on the public gallows, but scuttling away into the London sunset, punished only by the loss of the jewels he has (presciently, you might now think) regarded as a sound alternative to an old-age pension.

So all credit to Atkinson for giving Fagin at least as much menace as Jonathan Pryce and Robert Lindsay, who were superlative in Sam Mendes’s revival of the musical 14 years ago. True, he gratuitously reassures the audience by giving them the odd reminder of his prime claim to fame. He stages a goofy, jokey battle between stolen pearls and his beloved tiara and he even cuddles an antique teddy. But, praise be, he then casually chucks the fluffy bear into a furnace and reverts to being what he unsentimentally is most of the time: not an old Bean but an infinitely creepy criminal with lank hair, a yellow face and a sinister, silvery glint in his eyes.

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Oliver! pulls in £15m before opening
I can’t say that Rupert Goold, who is credited as the director, does much to reinvent Mendes’s production as I recall it, but he certainly gets plenty of energy out of his cast. Things start as they mean to go on in the towering workhouse — iron stairs, bleak benches, a palpable stench of lovelessness — that is just one of Anthony Ward’s splendidly atmospheric sets. Scores of small grey boys drill, sit, even eat in military unison before Oliver makes his plea for a little more food, glorious food — and then they wildly, furiously, jubilantly riot.

The particular Oliver chosen to perform last night was Harry Stott, a gentle, likable boy who could maybe produce more fear when he’s asked to sleep with the coffins that belong to his boss — Julian Bleach, looking as if he’s slithered out of a crypt in Transylvania — and more rage when his dead mother is horribly insulted.

And did Jodie Prenger, who won the role of Nancy in one of those deplorably sadistic television contests, justify her choice? I must admit she did. Initially she struck me as parading, posturing, performing rather than acting, but she went on to prove herself a tough, coarse, credible presence with a big, robust voice — and that’s all that is needed.

Bart’s songs may be unsophisticated and the rhymes sometimes feeble (“where oh where is love, does it fall from skies above?”), but they’re so tuneful and put over such elan that last night’s audience rightly cheered Consider Yourself, You’ve Got to Pick a Pocket or Two and several others. Moreover Matthew Bourne handles the thronging crowds with none of the cuteness that they so often attract from choreographers in musicals — though aren’t the bikes a bit anachronistic? — and Ward makes London a character in its own right: a looming St Pauls, swiftly moving and interlocking alleys, and a very Dickensian murk for Bill Sikes to run through.

Burn Gorman’s Sikes is a particular success, a pale, quiet figure who threatens more with his stillness than with his cudgel. There’s also a good, swaggering Dodger from Ross McCormack. And, yes, we end up with more of Dickens’s sentimentality than his horror. But that’s Bart for you, and his Oliver! remains as good and revivable as anything he wrote