No new twists in touring production of ‘Oliver!’

Sam Mendes’ staging of “Oliver!,” done in 1994 for producer Cameron Mackintosh in London, followed on the heels of the now-famous director’s “Cabaret.” The American touring version of that “Cabaret” (co-directed with Rob Marshall) was about as dark as “Cabarets” come.

Not so with “Oliver!,” which has finally arrived in America. Despite surface tinkering, it’s no revelation -- less innovative, in fact, than the revival at Deaf West Theatre in 2000.

After opening last month in Denver, the “Oliver!” tour is at the gargantuan Kodak Theatre in Hollywood through Sunday, and is expected to play Orange County Performing Arts Center a year from now. The tour is actually directed by Mendes’ former assistant Graham Gill. Mendes isn’t credited in the program, although a representative for the company said there have been few changes from his 1994 template.

The tour performers are not members of the professional stage actors’ union. Actors’ Equity contracts were deemed too expensive by producing company NETworks Presentations, which is why this “Oliver!” won’t be on Broadway. But the cast appears professional enough for most theatergoers’ purposes.

Lionel Bart’s score is still more appealing than his sometimes clumsy book. But the elements of Dickens’ “Oliver Twist” that remain in the text are strong enough to compensate for most of the second act’s convoluted exposition.

Mark McCracken is probably the tallest Fagin ever, towering over most of the urchins. His height lends a floppy charm to his movement style, and it’s an asset in theaters as big as the Kodak -- McCracken must be hard to miss even from the balcony. In the title role, Justin S. Pereira doesn’t force his natural cuteness, although his big sobbing scene looks a little fake.

Renata Renee Wilson’s Nancy has the required vitality and Shane R. Tanner’s Sikes the usual menace. Ken Clement’s Mr. Bumble and Gwen Eyster’s Widow Corney are well-etched caricatures of a couple who never said no to a plum pudding. Andrew Blau’s Artful Dodger is an adroit smart aleck.

Matthew Bourne did the 1994 musical staging, before he became well-known here for his dance productions at the Ahmanson Theatre. But Geoffrey Garratt is cited in the Kodak program for “additional choreography and musical staging,” so it’s hard to know what’s left of Bourne’s work. None of the movement looks groundbreaking. It’s at its most lavish when a whole funeral is briefly sketched on the periphery of the “That’s Your Funeral” song and when Oliver is caught up in a colorful street circus.

William David Brohn’s orchestrations shine in a tense reprise of “It’s a Fine Life,” which turns the upbeat song into a bitter argument among three of the major characters.

The major set pieces convert into different objects with alacrity, although they’re adapted somewhat for touring purposes. Again, it’s hard to know who did what. Anthony Ward, the 1994 set designer, is credited here only for costumes, while Adrian Vaux gets the set credit.

Reviews of the London production cite an opening scene in which Oliver’s pregnant mother was seen against a stormy backdrop; here, that scene is missing. But there’s one savvy touch in the current opening scene -- as the orphans sing about their hunger, servants carry a procession of sumptuous dishes across the front of the stage, presumably intended for the orphanage staff. The second half begins with a brief boxing match, setting up the rowdy bar scene.

The worst text update is in a reference to Queen Victoria. Fagin says, “I understand she’s got a secret.” Dickens surely would not approve of an anachronistic plug for a lingerie store.

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‘Oliver!’

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Where: Kodak Theatre, 6801 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood

When: Tonight, 8 p.m.; Saturday, 2 and 8 p.m.; Sunday, 2 and 7 p.m.

Ends: Sunday

Price: $30-$95

Contact: (213) 365-3500 or (714) 740-7878

Running time: 2 hours, 30 minutes