"You would have me in your power if I sat here for an hour," sings Widow Corney to Mr Bumble, the amorous Beadle, in Lionel Bart's classic musical Oliver! The audience at Queen Elizabeth School's version of this much-loved show found themselves in the power of an engaging production within seconds of the opening and sat entranced for well over two hours of theatrical delight.

The school's production stood out for the sheer talent of the pupil performers and the rock-solid support of a vibrant, energetic and well-disciplined orchestra.

The opening Food, Glorious Food set the tone for the rest of the evening - confident, clear, beautifully-paced and synchronised, the choral singing was a sheer delight.

Oliver was Matthew Barker. His musicality was matched by his clarity and control in the dialogue sections, with complete mastery of a well-modulated upper-crust English accent and the capacity for generating both warmth and pathos in equal measure.

There followed a rapid parade of thoroughly enjoyable Dickensian character types, in which the audience could be forgiven for forgetting the school children behind the roles; the majestic, perfectly paced bass of Ben France's Mr Bumble, ludicrously lustful in the presence of the abrasive and domineering Widow Corney (a satisfyingly rapacious and grasping Emily Turner); the richly comic pairing of Sarah Hicks as Mrs Sowerberry and Danny McCarthy as her ingratiating undertaker husband; and a bullying, sneeringly-contemptuous Noah Claypole (Mitchell Robinson), lording it over the infatuated, suggestively sausage-offering Charlotte (Hannah Paget), only to be reduced to a satisfyingly pathetic heap by Oliver's spirited refusal to be cowed.

Strength in depth seems to be the characteristic of productions from the Kirkby Lonsdale school, and many of the minor characters - dancers, bit-part players and extras, on stage for only a few minutes - obviously have the voice, acting and movement skills to take them into more prominent roles in future productions as the school's Arts College status starts to gain momentum.

January 2, 2003 14:30