A darker Oliver! is still tuneful, hopeful, compelling at Goodspeed Opera House
By AARON KRAUSE EAST HADDAM, Conn. — Goodspeed Musicals’ impressive production of Lionel Bart’s Oliver! isn’t shrouded in darkness and dismay. But, make no mistake: This mounting is unlike the buoyant, multi-award-winning 1968 film adaptation of Charles Dickens’ novel, Oliver Twist. Rather, Goodspeed’s version, like David Lean’s 1948 noirish, severe, non-musical film version, more vividly communicates the…
