Myself and Mrs E were at The Grand Opera House, Belfast last night in the company of some West End Musical Stars of the future! 160 young people to be exact all aged between 10 and 18 took to the stage for this year’s summer spectacular – Oliver!
I always look forward to attending the opening night and once again it was great to see that we have so much musical theatre talent here in Northern Ireland that gets a chance to be showcased on such an iconic stage.
It is sixty years since the premiere of Lionel Bart’s masterpiece and Oliver continues to delight audiences. Described by many as the perfect family musical the ensemble cast and multi-talented principal performers bring the colourful characters of Oliver, Nancy, Fagin and the Artful Dodger to life. The outstanding musical score includes Food Glorious Food, Where is Love?, Consider Yourself, and I’d Do Anything, to name but a few.
Jackson Allen is perfectly cast in the role of Fagin and Robbie McMinn is also fantastic as Bill Sykes and wouldn’t be out of place playing an East End villain in Albert Square! Mason McLoughlin & Conor Kelly are also very good as Oliver and The Artful Dodger.
For me the overall stand out performance of the night had to be Caroline McMichael as Nancy. The 17 year old from Jordanstown has an absolutely amazing voice and performs As Long As He Needs Me with such emotion. Caroline is definitely a performer to watch out for in the future.
Director Tony Finnegan and Musical Director Wilson Shields have done a fantastic job as always and I must also mention the stunning set design and fabulous lighting throughout the whole show.
Choreographer Rebecca Leonard also deserves a special mention as she has done such an amazing job creating all the scenes with large numbers of cast on stage. All of the ensemble scenes were definitely stand out moments in the show for me.
A big congratulations and a well deserved standing ovation for all involved in the Grand Opera House Summer Youth project for a fantastic production of Oliver!
Oliver runs at The Grand Opera House, Belfast until tomorrow (Saturday) with performances at 2pm & 7pm. Book your tickets here – https://www.goh.co.uk/whats-on/oliver/
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