With the return of orphanages in the news lately, the production of "Oliver!" at the Lyric Opera House is unlikely to dissuade anyone from the idea.
That's because -- despite the inclusion of a murder, scenes of domestic violence and street crimes ranging from thievery to prostitution -- Lionel Bart's 1960 musical puts a cheerful, upbeat gloss on Dickens' dark melodramatic novel "Oliver Twist." This touring production, directed by Dallett Norris, upholds the musical's treacly tradition.
Designer Jeffrey Schneider's set may look like a medieval torture chamber, but the children in the cast are cute and perky, whether they're playing urchins in the orphanage or urchins in Fagin's gang of pickpockets.
Most of the adults deliver competent performances, including David Lee as a wizened, grandfatherly Fagin and Steve McCoy as the most feared thief in London, dastardly Bill Sikes.
As Sikes' moll, Nancy, however, Kathy Halenda is the only cast member who earns a degree of audience empathy. She accomplishes this even though, in these enlightened times, her big song, "As Long As He Needs Me" (which she sings masterfully), comes across as a rather pathological celebration of co-dependence.
Just about everything in the production is serviceable, particularly the big colorful numbers "Consider Yourself" and "I'd Do Anything." There are a few directorial choices that don't make much sense, however.
For instance, when tiny Oliver is sold into the employ of an undertaker, he looks laughable beating up the undertaker's apprentice -- a full-grown bully several times Oliver's size. And Bill Sikes' final scene, in which he stands clear of Oliver and practically turns himself into a target, doesn't make much sense for a supposedly street-smart criminal.
"Oliver!" has long been one of the most popular musicals in London, and producer Cameron Mackintosh ("Cats," "Les Miserables," "The Phantom of the Opera") has just opened a new, large-scale revival starring Tony Award-winner Jonathan Pryce as Fagin. Whether Mackintosh's production succeeds in finding a little more depth in this shallow musical is something Americans may have to wait to see.
The version at the Lyric sticks closely to Bart's original approach, which takes so many of the teeth out of Dickens' novel, it makes a story of squalor and violence more suitable for children than adults. Heck, this production doesn't even include Bill Sikes' fierce bull terrier.
If you wonder what the exclamation point means at the end of the title, it seems to mean wholesome and bland. It's a twist Dickens probably wouldn't recognize.
"Oliver!"
Where: Lyric Opera House, 140 W. Mount Royal Ave.
When: 8 p.m. tonight through Sunday; matinees at 2 p.m. tomorrow and Sunday
Tickets: $20-$42.50
Call: (410) 889-3911
** 1/2