OLIVER! Adelaide Theatre Academy Norwood Concert Hall Until 10 Mar 2019 Review by Doug Phillips As far as amateur productions in Adelaide go, there are many adult performers treading the boards who would do well to check out Adelaide Theatre Academy’s cast for “Oliver”. This production showcased an abundance of young talent who kept character, projected their voices, and embraced the concept of their being “no small parts”. Sure, there were some insecure performances. However, even with their nerves, they gave it their all and produced a quality show. As with most productions of “Oliver”, The Artful Dodger (played by Joel Pathius) was a crowd favourite. No nerves with Joel. He’s obviously studied the part very well, and his portrayal was faithful and consistent. Samantha Keogh as Nancy, though, stole the show. Her voice still requires some more training, but she is a powerhouse. When Samantha opened her lungs, she commanded the stage, filled the airspace, and silenced everybody. Other worthy mentions include Grace Colsey as Fagin, and Elish Webb as Mr Bumble. Playing roles of the opposite sex is not easily accomplished by everyone, but these two nailed it, and we soon forgot that they were the wrong gender. In trying to be sympathetic to the audio department, it needs to be said that every show I’ve seen at the Norwood Concert Hall lately has had microphone issues. Maybe it’s the venue itself, but there were moments when it was obvious that the mics just hadn’t been turned up (or down) in time. This is a good, solid production of a much-loved classic, and all involved should be proud of their work. Rating: 3 stars (out of 5)