Review: 'Oliver!' By Albert Einstein High School

A Cappies review of the performance of Lionel Bart's Oliver! at Albert Einstein High School on Saturday, March 9, 2019.

By Alex Yee, Chantilly High School

KENSINGTON, MD — As I'm "Reviewing the Situation" — the Situation of my feelings that is — I have to "Consider [My]self" quite content, due to Albert Einstein High School's elaborate performance of the classic musical "Oliver!" by Lionel Bart.

"Oliver!" is a musical adaptation of Charles Dickens's timeless novel "Oliver Twist." It debuted first in the West End on June 30th, 1960, running for 2,618 performances, and then later moved to Broadway on January 6th, 1963, where it ran for 774 performances, and closed November 14th, 1965.

Albert Einstein took stuffy English standard and added a dash of good ol' American style to it. The ensemble numbers were bright and cheery, and the performance of a certain thief (who shall remain nameless - for now) kept the audience enraptured. Regarding technical elements, the set and props were the most notable to me; the students' attention to detail and obvious hard-work in realizing the many set pieces came off excellently. I was effortlessly absorbed into the harsh underbelly of 1840's England.

As far as leads go, the obvious standout performer, the cream of the crop, the créme de la créme, was Mr. Austin Patterson, in the role of the pickpocket king: Fagin. The subtleties of his comedy, whether it be his stature or hand movements, his accent or ad-libs, contributed to a performance that, in my humble opinion, stole (pardon the pun) the show. For instance, within the musical soliloquy "Reviewing the Situation", in which Fagin doubts the merits of his life of crime, Mr. Patterson played convincingly his serious inner conflict, without sacrificing any of his brilliant comedic talent. Bravo!

While the leads are usually dominant, in this show the supporting players are not to be discounted. To prove this, in a scene with the newly wed Bumbles, played by Mr. Steven Franco (Mr. Bumble) and Ms. Andie Bisk (Widow Corney), there appeared unexpected improvisational virtuosity. Throughout the show, Widow Corney stores objects within her *ahem* brasserie, and within one scene, she needed to store a locket. However, when time called for her to reproduce it, it had unfortunately (or fortunately?) fallen farther than she expected. Impressively, both actor and actress demonstrated dedication to the trade, and without missing a beat, Ms. Bisk turned, comically fumbling for the locket, interjecting side-splitting ad-libs, as Mr. Franco chivalrously raised a cape to protect her modesty. You really had to be there. It was a hoot and a half.

Technically, Albert Einstein has some talent! The lighting team had a great creative decision to use the cyclorama lights (backdrop lighting) to reflect the changes of mood onstage. For example, when the villainous Bill Sikes (Matthew Bué) stormed in, the lights became a deep red. When the Fagin's Boys romped around for "You've Got to Pick a Pocket or Two", they were a bright orange.Albert Einstein, thank you. You provided the audience with "Food, Glorious Food" —musical food that is — and I'm truly lucky to have been a witness.