Theatre & Stage reviews by SalsaChicago.com critic Al Bresloff

"Oliver!" thru February 12, 2006)

It is no wonder that Marriott Theatre in Lincolnshire has one of the highest subscription rates in regional theaters in this country. They put on great productions. New shows, old shows, it makes no difference. Whatever they do, shines! "Oliver!' the musical version of "Oliver Twist" is a perfect example of how well the use the small in the round stage of their theater.While this show is over 40 years old, the music of Lionel Bart, with songs such as "Where is Love", I'd Do Anything", "Who Will Buy?", "Consider Yourself" and the show stopping "As Long As He Needs Me" (Handled by the multi talented Kate Fry with tremendous emotion) are all done with great style. Needless to say, with David Bell's direction, there is no question of the quality of the production. He is truly a master of his art.

For those of you who do not remember the story, Oliver Twist is an orphan. When the other boys convince him to ask for more food, he is taken away from the orphanage and sold to a local undertaker. He escapes from there and runs into The Artful Dodger (the energetic Matt Rafferty) who is one of Fagin's boys. He is taken to Fagin's den where he is taught the art of picking pockets- he gets caught and taken in by a fine gentleman. I won't reveal the ending but it is all good for Oliver Twist. Mr. Bell and his staff have put together a top notch cast with young Michael Notardonato as Oliver. This 7th grader from Naperville has a strong voice, dances quite well and appears very comfortable on stage. Ms. Fry of course, who is known for her work at Chicago Shakespeare at Navy Pier and Court Theatre once again proves just how talented she is. Every time I see her work, I am more impressed than the last time. Also coming from Shakespeare is Greg Vinkler, who brings just the right touch to Fagin's character.

While he is a thief, he is a lovable character and Mr. Vinkler adds the warm touch that makes the audience care for him. The evil character in this story is Bill Sykes (handled strongly by Martin Yurek). There are also fine performances by Michael Lindner, Marilynn Bogetic, Jeff Kuhl, Carol Kuykendall, Roger Mueller and the lads (as Fagin calls them): Joe Schenk, Luke Mills,Ryan Gardner, Patrick Evans and Blaine Hogan, who are a bit older than one might expect, but all make these scenes work).A few of the orphans stood out as well, Mitchell Rose, Kevin Nietzel and the adorable Matthew Gold (quite the scene stealer).

As usual, the stage design by Thomas M. Ryan works perfectly, costumes by Nancy Missimi are just right and Diane Ferry Williams sets the moods with her lighting. The orchestra led by Patti Garwood handles this score with just the right sound. This is a production that works, from the very onset. There are some changes from what we would expect to see. Instead of the normal overture, we find Charles Dickens at his table writing the story and each of our main character appears on the corners of the stage to set the tone of what to expect. Mr. Dickens appears at other times as well and as he writes, the actors recite what he has just quoted- this is an idea that works extremely well, as does the entire production. This is a show that you should take the entire family to.

"Oliver!" will run through February 12th at the Marriott Theatre in Licolnshire located at the Marriott Resort (10 Marriott Drive) just East of Rte 21 (Milwaukee Ave) and South of Rte 22 (Half Day Rd) with plenty of free parking and some wonderful restaurants on premise as well as along Milwaukee Ave. Performances are as follows:

Wednesday at 1 p.m. and 8 p.m. Thursday and Friday at 8 p.m. Saturday at 5 and 8:30 p.m. Sunday at 1 and 5 p.m.

Wednesday and Thursdays are dinner night (subject to availability) free dinner with a $45 ticket (a true value worth checking out). On Friday, Saturday and Sunday, there are dinner packages available for an additional $30 per ticket

Tickets (other than the dinner package on Wednesday and Thursday) are $42 (well worth the price for a show this good) and can be reserved by phone (credit cards) at 847-634-0200 or visit www.marriotttheatre.com.