Please sir, I'd like some more

>> A gender-bending Oliver!

by AMY BARRATT

I grew up with a passion for musicals, but it's been a long time since I've actually seen one. That is, unless you count the video of a Broadway Peter Pan starring maxi-pad queen Cathy Rigby that my daughter is hooked on. Don't ask. Apart from the occasional swing through town of a touring company, full-scale musicals have been scarce on Montreal stages for several years now.

With its current production of Oliver!, Centaur has leapt into the void left by community groups like Lyric Theatre and Beth Tikvah Players, hoping to attract audiences who pine for singin' and dancin' and elaborate sets. If this were an amateur production it would be a pretty good one. But as a professional company with a solid subscriber base, Centaur could and should have had more fun with it.

The first hint of trouble came in mid-November when Centaur sent out a press release saying that the search was on for a boy to play Oliver and that auditions would be held three days before Christmas (!). James Mariotti-Lapointe got the part, but for future reference, casting the lead shouldn't be a last-minute thing.

I anticipated having two big problems with the casting: I thought a full-grown woman as a teenage boy (Laura Teasdale as the Artful Dodger) would be horrible. Instead, it's the most interesting thing in the show. The Artful's first line, "Wotcha starin' at? Ain'tcha never seen a gent?" takes on new meaning. In fact, the show doesn't really get going until Teasdale gets there, strutting about in drag-king mode, leading the full chorus in "Consider Yourself." When she sings "I'd Do Anything (for you)" to Nancy, it's a highly enjoyable moment for the lesbo faction of the crowd, though I doubt that's what director Robb Paterson had in mind.

Which brings me to the second thing I was wrong about. I thought Stephanie McNamara was too far along the matronly road to play Nancy. The whore with the heart of gold is meant to be barely older than the boys in Fagin's band. Okay, McNamara doesn't look 17 but she doesn't look matronly either. And most importantly, she knows her way around a musical. Her presence, in a show where not everyone is equally sure of their footing, is greatly appreciated. Paterson may have cast against type for these two roles, but he cast talent--and that was the right answer.

One of the reasons companies like Lyric and Beth Tikvah disappeared from the scene is that even though they weren't professional, they were being forced to pay musicians union scale to play in their orchestras. How ironic, then, to see Centaur, a professional company, completely side-stepping the orchestra issue. They've got two guys on keyboards (musical director Christopher Mounteer and the fabulous John Gilbert) simulating various instruments, hidden away in the wings. At the risk of pissing off every musician in town, the arrangement works well. The problem with full orchestras in orchestra pits is that they invariably drown out the singers, unless you mic the singers, which in the case of a period show like Oliver! would be disastrous.

Traditionally, musicals appeal to two audience bases: families and queers. This Oliver! has enough to please the former and even throws a bone to the latter (with Teasdale's gender-bending), but next time they could go so much further. By the way, we've got local directors (Corey Castle, Brent Krysa) who are more than up to the task.

Oliver! to April 22 at Centaur. Tickets $26-$42. Info: 288-3161