It’s been almost 180 years since Charles Dickens introduced the world to the orphan Oliver Twist, and more than half a century since composer/lyricist Lionel Bart made a Broadway star of the parentless urchin. And while it’s a long way from the grim workhouses of Dickensian London to the suburban streets of Lake Forest, Oliver’s rough-and-tumble quest for a home (and, of course, for food, glorious food), continues to strike a chord with audiences.
“I think the message the show brings is that no matter where you are in the world, no matter who you are in the world, we all want to know that someone cares about us. That we’ve got family,” says Northbrook’s Mike Ermel. As the violently villainous Bill Sykes in the Citadel Theatre production of “Oliver” opening Nov. 20, Ermel’s character offers a tragic reminder of the violent and sorry ends that can befall those who never find their way home.
Sykes’s brutality can present a challenge to contemporary stagings of “Oliver!” The show is arguably best known for peppy ensemble numbers such as “Food, Glorious Food!” (the most upbeat number about starving ever written) and “Consider Yourself” (delivered by a chorus of thieves welcoming Oliver into their midst). But one of the show’s biggest showstopper solos belongs to Sykes’ lover Nancy, who delivers a five-alarm siren song, “As Long As He Needs Me,” to the abusive Sykes.
“You have to remember, the song is representing attitudes of the mid-1800s,” points out director Pat Murphy, “and it’s a case of emotions being stronger than intelligence. We all have passions and feelings, and times when we don’t pay heed to what our intellect is telling us we should do.”
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Love — and the search for it — is at the heart of the first act showstopper in “Oliver.” The lilting, aptly titled “Where is Love” is delivered by the title character while he’s locked in the coffin-filled mortuary basement. That song falls to 9-year old Zachary Fewkes of Lake Zurich and Skokie’s Roy Gantz, 13, who share the role of Oliver. Zachary is a seasoned performer whose previous roles include the spunky Gavroche in “Les Miserables” at LZP Productions. “I’m kind of the opposite of Oliver,” Zachary says. “He’s very sad. And kind of shy.”
Oliver is also somebody that most people can relate to, says Ermel. “People root for Oliver, through all his adventures. I think part of it is the idea of perseverance – you see this young boy going through awful hardships and misfortunes. But ultimately surviving, and finding a family.”
“You heart goes out to Oliver,” says Murphy. “And when he sings ‘Where is Love’? That number is so emotional, it can make you melt.”
Zachary has a sure-fire method for the sadness in the song and in Oliver’s journey: “I just think about the fact that I don’t have a puppy.”
‘Oliver!’
Nov. 20–Dec. 20
Citadel Theatre, 300 S. Waukegan Road, Lake Forest
$35-$37.50
847-735-8554, Ext. 1; www.citadeltheatre.org