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Dion Donahue proves once again that he is one of Honolulu's great stage actors with his portrayal of Fagin in Army Community Theatre's season-closing performance of "Oliver!" Donahue previously defined the role with a stellar performance, and topped a strong cast in doing so, when Diamond Head Theatre did "Oliver!" in 1998. He is every bit as good with this encore performance. ‘Oliver!’ is a steal
of a great showReview by John Berger
jberger@starbulletin.comThe milieu is the ugly streets and dank alleyways of early Victorian London, where life is cheap and children are a commodity. Young orphan Oliver Twist (Kaitlin Kiyan) is starved and abused in a workhouse, sold to the Sowerberrys and then lured into a life of petty crime. Oliver lucks into a chance for a better life but sees it stripped away when he's kidnapped and returned to Fagin's hideout.
Fagin uses runaway boys as pickpockets and petty thieves while he stays safely out of harm's way, and Donahue wears the role like a slimy second skin. He dominates the string of production numbers that close Act 1 and set up the final brief scene. Donahue returns in Act 2 to make Fagin's great solos -- "Reviewing the Situation" and "Reprise: Reviewing the Situation" -- two of the show's strongest musical numbers.
And if that ratty turquoise trench coat looks familiar, yes, it is the same one Donahue wore in 1998! He uses it with equal dramatic effect here.
"Oliver!": Presented by Army Community Theatre, 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays through May 25 at Richardson Theatre, Fort Shafter. Tickets: $12-$15 for adults, $6-$8 for children. Call 438-4480.
Also reprising a great DHT performance for ACT is Mikel J. Humerickhouse as the brutal and abusive Bill Sykes. Humerickhouse again creates a convincing physical portrait of a lethal street thug who has no redeeming qualities but nevertheless attracts submissive women -- one hapless punching bag named Nancy (Darci Evans) in particular. Donahue as Fagin has a certain creepy charm, but Humerickhouse as Bill Sykes is bad news straight up. Humerickhouse's powerful interpretation of "My Name" establishes Sykes as a man even Fagin is afraid of.
Evans emerges as a stronger presence as Act 2 progresses and makes "Reprise: As Long as He Needs Me" the key emotional turning point. Yvonne Filius, who had the role in the DHT production, played Nancy bawdier than Evans and director Stephanie Curtis Conching have interpreted the role here. Filius' approach to "As Long as He Needs Me" suggested that Nancy's devotion to her abusive boyfriend was somehow romantic. Evans' performance better suggests the unvarnished human tragedy of abusive relationships.
Derrick Kam and Angela Crowley (Mr. and Mrs. Sowerberry) distinguish themselves with bizarre interpretations of a ghoulish undertaker and his domineering wife. Credit Kathy Kohl (costume design) with creating such cadaverous costuming and makeup for Kam that he is completely unrecognizable.
Kam and Crowley give the strongest performances of all the secondary nasties in the dark and grim tale, but Brett Hudson (Mr. Bumble) and Ginnie Little (Widow Corney) create some sparkling moments of light and subtle comedy with "I Shall Scream." Hudson also joins Kam and Crowley to create an expressive comic trio for "It's Your Funeral," the best musical number in which Donahue does not participate.
"Oliver!" is Lionel Bart's musical adaptation of the Charles Dickens novel "Oliver Twist," and many of the character relationships make more sense in the novel than on stage. The ACT production seemed particularly truncated in terms of characterization and plot continuity. For instance, the first time Evans sang "As Long as He Needs Me," there hadn't been enough sense of the relationship between Sykes and Nancy to understand the song was expressing Nancy's feelings for Sykes -- not Fagin, or possibly even Oliver.
Oh, well. ACT's "Oliver!" is entertaining regardless of any issues with Bart's storytelling skills. Director Conching and choreographer Grace Bell Humerickhouse get a series of visually engaging performances from the appealing corps of preteen singer-dancers who portray the workhouse inmates and street kids. Tom Giza's sets are some of his best in recent memory (the drop-in bridge looks good and works perfectly), and the quality of the opening-night sound Thursday was almost up to the benchmark set by ACT's 2001 staging of "South Pacific."
Mark Vogel (musical director) provides smooth and well-textured support in his Honolulu theatrical debut. Vogel and William Edwards (sound design) share credit for making "Oliver!" enjoyable listening despite the fact that Kiyan and Eric Jones (Artful Dodger) lacked sufficient microphone volume at times.
And then there's Dion Donahue, whose performance as Fagin is worth "pickin' a pocket or two" for the ticket price.
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