photo by ©Gerry Goodstein
Jeffrey M. Bender as Bill Sikes (right) & Corey Tazmania as Nancy (left)
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Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey’s latest production is the highly anticipated Neil Bartlett adaptation of Charles Dickens’ “Oliver Twist.”  Directed by the visionary Brian B. Crowe, this darkly dazzling production takes us into the gritty heart of the 99% in Victorian England.   When it was originally published, as a serial, Dickens doled out soupçons of sinister salaciousness.  STNJ’s production, part of its gala 50th season, displays the dark humor and vigorous human spirit in every fiber of the production.
Neil Bartlett’s adaptation sings with vibrating life and, as combined with Crowe’s sense of whimsy and the true kernel of dramatic moments, the experience is sublime.  Brian J. Ruggaber’s set and Andrew Hungerford’s lighting evoke the griminess of the Industrial Revolution, when 10 year olds, born sans silver spoons, weren’t playing with Nintendo, they were selling bootblack and doing the most dangerous, most ugly jobs.  Dickens’ novel was one of the early salvos in the social consciousness raising that ultimately led to more humane conditions for the working poor, both children and adults.  The humor and the love in unlikely places bloom like wildflowers pushing their way through concrete, even if it’s only to bask in the sun for a short time.  How short?  You’ll need to see the show.
Nancy Leary’s costumes evoke the era and provide, as well, a bit of an idea of how street urchins may have come by these mismatched pied pieces of sartorial daring.  And the characters are also well clad for personality. Bill Sikes sports a steampunk-esque full-length leather coat that rolls around him like storm clouds, as he strides to and fro.  Fagin’s quite spiffy and literally on the nearly ragged edge of respectability.  Nancy’s got a leather-looking corset that links her with Bill and acts as a nod to the sensibilities of the time, though “ladies” wore the corsets beneath their blouses, which Nancy seems to be missing.
Ah and the characters!  Each actor has created a three dimensional character that is so unflinching that we see the granularity in every emotion. Robbie Collier Sublett is earnest in his reading, which sets the tone for the tale of the tome.  Then, when he slips on his jacket and hat, the louche Artful Dodger leans into the doorway and his character becomes the shrewd observer of the benighted Oliver, Quentin McCuiston.  Oliver never forgets his “place,” even while his head moves like a swivel, as he looks for the love and sense of belonging he’s been denied from birth.  We never stop thirsting for the love and approval we seek, and Corey Tazmania’s Nancy displays a sympathetic vibration with the workhouse boy from the moment she lays eyes on him.  Tazmania’s mien radiates something almost tangible, as her energy, her heart, reaches out to someone who is clearly different in her eyes from the other poor souls around her.  That clear vision is blinded, however, by her desperate love of Bill Sikes.  Jeffrey M. Bender has many opportunities to flex his acting ability on both sides of the gender divide as well as the law.  His star turn as the Monty-Python-esque Mrs. Sowerberry is ragingly funny, while his intense portrayal of Bill Sikes is maddeningly cruel.  Ames Adamson’s Fagin is lurid, scary and full of pathos—he’s a wily old scoundrel who is, at times, both Faust and the Devil.  Tina Stafford’s Mrs. Corney and Eric Hoffman’s Mr. Bumble are cruel, pragmatic and their moral compass, if it exists, revolves around expedience for themselves.
The staging, the adaptation, and the quality of acting throughout the ensemble render this play more than the sum of its considerable parts.  The production continues through Oct. 7 at The Shakespeare Theatre’s Main Stage, on Tuesday through Sunday evenings, as well as Saturday and Sundays at 2 p.m.  For tickets or more information, call the box office at 973/408-5600 or visit www.ShakespeareNJ.org.  Celebrate life–celebrate “Oliver Twist.”