Actor single-handedly makes ‘Oliver!’ a must-see

One of the few drawbacks in having J Neal on the technical staff of Rainbow Company is that we don't get to see him act much. "Oliver!" at the Charleston Heights Arts Center shows how much we've been missing.

Neal plays the aging Fagin, the leader of a group of child pickpocketers in Dickensian London. When he sings nonsense songs, his eyes bulge energetically, and you can see his character's love of being in the company of kids. In a number in which he's trying to decide if he should reform his life, he demonstrates a musicality and finesse that earns audience applause. And in the end, when he's lost everything he cherished, his face tells us all we need to know about his emotional state.

Jake Rouse quickly gains our sympathies in the title role. He makes us care.

Most of the rousing numbers are exuberantly performed (by a 55-member cast and eight musicians) and choreographed (by Karen McKenney).

But director Brian Kral doesn't quite shape the material.

There's an easygoing, steady pace that's sometimes inappropriate. The first act curtain, for example, features a major event that may bring down the lives of all the main characters. But it's so casually staged that its importance doesn't register. The final scene involving a man's death is so rushed, that you don't recognize it's the show's climax. The production doesn't end; it just stops.

Kearsten Kuroishi, as the abused girlfriend of the evil Bill Sykes (Kiel Cottrill), sings pleasantly but looks so Snow White-wholesome, it's difficult to believe she's lived her life on the streets.

Kris Van Riper's set for Act One breaks a cardinal rule. It's supposed to represent unattractive locales, but it is so unattractive that it's unpleasant to look at. Projections perk up the neutral-colored, unpainted-looking stairwells and platforms in Act Two, but there's little about the design to hold our interest.

Finally, cuts in the material occasionally make the story difficult to follow. The script is not given enough time to build momentum.

But Neal makes this a must-see show. His simple, clean performance is likely to keep this "Oliver!" in your memory.

Anthony Del Valle can be reached at vegastheaterchat @aol.com. You can write him c/o Las Vegas Review-Journal, P.O. Box 70, Las Vegas, NV 89125.