This past weekend we took Hannah Rose to see the Broadway Musical, Oliver! Of course, it wasn’t on Broadway…it was a bit off off off off Broadway. Give or take an off or several.
It was put on by the Motor City Youth Theatre and Grantland Street Players in Livonia. (You can check out their website here )
We really enjoyed the show. It had been far too long since I had been to the theatre–any sort, really. Hannah Rose seemed to enjoy it–she said her favourite parts were when “the man’s foot got stepped on.” She also liked it when Oliver pulled out a very long stream of hankies from Fagin’s pocket, and then fell on his bum. She was incredibly well behaved during the show.
The director did a great job with the cast. Working with kids is not always easy–but when it’s done well, it’s a pleasure for everyone! As far as the cast went–the young girl who played Dodger stood out by leaps and bounds.
Even Chris–who hates musicals and isn’t that much of a live theatre fan (yet! ~wink, wink~) enjoyed the production. Which, if you know him, is saying more than A LOT!
The theatre space was small and intimate. The cast was almost as large as the audience! It looked like the building had at one time been perhaps a small church. I liked the set, and the costumes were great. I was a little surprised to see actors doing double duty as stage-hands, but I know that’s not unheard of.
The story–it’s a great story, as long as you’re not reading Charles Dickens’ version thereof. I was going to say I can’t think of any adaptation of a Charles Dickens’ novel that I haven’t enjoyed–but then I remembered that Great Expectations movie we were forced to watch back in high school. I didn’t care much for that. With that exception, I think his stories are great. I just hate the way he tells them. I know there are a lot of Charles Dickens fans out there–and I may get yelled at for saying so, but I don’t think he was a good writer. OK, OK, to say I don’t think he was a good writer is putting it mildly to say the least. And it’s probably a little silly how passionately I dislike the man’s writing. But there you have it folks–my honest opinion: Charles Dickens’ stories are great, the way he tells them not so great!
Driving after the theatre, Hannah Rose yawns loudly and declares, “I’m not tired.” Chris laughed so hard at that, she did it several more times before arriving home. She likes laughing and making other people laugh every bit as much as he does!
Off With the Fairies 