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Human Race Theatre Company Debuts New Streaming Production

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The Human Race Theatre Company is excited to announce that you can experience the magic of local professional theatre from the comfort of your home. Love, time, and starting over is at the heart of Now and Then by Sean Grennan, filmed on location at Dayton’s own Mudlick Tap House, kicking off our 35th season by continuing our tradition of celebrating the best our community has to offer. It will be available exclusively on the streaming platform Broadway On-Demand starting April 28, 2021 – the 35th birthday of The Human Race.

 

In the face of an unprecedented year, we’ve needed to be more creative than ever before.  “Our timing of this first production marks both our commitment to keeping our artists safe while also celebrating our 35 years as Dayton’s professional theatre company,” states Human Race Artistic Director and Founding Member, Kevin Moore.  “Unlike previous ‘pandemic projects,’ this production is fully staged on location and filmed by another first for us.  This allows us to share our work with our audience while keeping everyone safe until we can return to in-person performances at the Loft Theatre.”   Local production company WorldStage Media did the filming.

The play takes us to a neighborhood bar in 1981 where Jamie is closing up when a last-minute customer enters and offers Jamie and his girlfriend Abby $2,000 to sit and have a drink with him.  Who wouldn’t take it?  But the unusual conversation, and the appearance of a second customer, make the unbelievable begin to look like it just might be true.

Director Marya Spring Cordes has assembled an amazing quartet of actors.  Playing the couple Jamie and Abby are a real-life married couple, Justin McCombs and Maggie Lou Rader. And as the unexpected customers are Human Race Resident Actor and Founding Member Scott Stoney, and local actress Libby Holley Scancarello.

The fifth character in the play is the bar, and we are grateful to Mudlick Tap House for providing the location for our production.  Our Director of Photography, Editor and head of film production is Shaunn Baker of WorldStage Media. Our production Stage Manager is Jacquelyn Duncan. Costume by Janet G. Powell;  Scenic Elements and Props by Alexander Capeneka; Lighting by John Rensel;  Sound by Jay Brunner.

Now and Then will be available on the Broadway on Demand platform from April 28 – May 9, 2021.  Current subscribers will receive an email with their personal link to watch the show.  Single tickets now available at Broadway on Demand by using this link:  https://livestream.broadwayondemand.com/human-race/

 

‘Sweeney Todd’ Review – Human Race Theatre Company – Dark Victory

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The Human Race Theatre Company opens its 30th anniversary season with a wonderfully immersive and impressive production of composer Stephen Sondheim and librettist Hugh Wheeler’s 1979 Tony Award-winning masterpiece “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.”

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Based on Christopher Bond’s play of the same name, “Sweeney Todd” marvelously intertwines horror, humor, love, regret, revenge, and suspense into its Victorian account of a crazed barber/ex-convict destroying the society that cheated him. The disturbing, cannibalistic nature of Sweeney’s dastardly deeds, fueled by his kooky accomplice Mrs. Nellie Lovett, a pie shop proprietor in Fleet Street, always provides a riveting centerpiece for this ingenious thriller. However, director Scott Stoney refreshingly opts for more than a mere bloody fright fest. By digging deeper into characterization and the humanity of those inhabiting Sweeney’s dark world, Stoney creates one of the most relevant versions of the show I have seen heightened by a striking intimacy that can only be felt within the confines of the Loft Theatre. In fact, due to certain moments staged on platforms located on opposite sides of the venue, the material has never felt more immediate or engrossing. Some organizations would scoff at the notion of producing such an unnerving musical with an approachable mindset, but Stoney’s boldness, insisting the audience follow every morsel of the action, invites an experience unlike any other. But you wouldn’t want to be kept at a distance anyway considering the fantastic attributes of his vocally sublime cast.

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Jamie Cordes plays the title role in “Sweeney Todd.”

Resonant baritone Jamie Cordes, featured as sailor Anthony Hope in the Human Race’s 1996 production of “Sweeney Todd” at the Victoria Theatre starring Stoney, understands the fine line associated with portraying the complex Sweeney, one of the most challenging roles ever conceived. If he aimed too psychotic he’d wallow in overblown histrionics. If he aimed too melodramatic he’d wallow in maudlin shallowness. Thankfully, the evil he concocts is a fetching brew of creepily confident swagger, authoritative menace, distressed paranoia, wounded remorse, and disturbing joy. Toward the end of Act 1, Cordes respectively brings Sweeney’s magnetism and terror to the compelling forefront with splendid renditions of the ravishing ballad “Pretty Women” (terrifically shared with David McDonald as the corrupt Judge Turpin who sent Sweeney to jail on a trumped-up charge and adopted his daughter Johanna while he was incarcerated) and utterly alarming “Epiphany,” one of the scariest songs in the musical theatre canon tailor-made to rip through the fourth wall. Fine comedienne Rebecca Watson (Broadway’s “By Jeeves”) is equally razor sharp as Mrs. Lovett, the Sondheimian equivalent to Shakespeare’s Lady Macbeth. There’s a comical world-weariness in her portrayal befitting Lovett’s down-and-out nature (she’s responsible for “The Worst Pies in London”), but Watson specifically magnetizes as the deceitful Lovett lures Sweeney deeper into vengeance if only to secure his love. I haven’t seen an actress skillfully weigh Lovett’s self-absorbed matters of pleasure and profit since being blown away by Imelda Staunton’s fiery portrayal in London’s West End four years ago.

14202760_10154615224843013_3259308007451069107_nElsewhere in principal roles, strong tenor Zack Steele is an engagingly sensitive and lovestruck Anthony (his rendition of “Johanna” is beautifully emotive), Kimberly Hessler, well-paired with Steele, supplies lilting operatic strains as the lovely, sheltered Johanna (her rendition of the gorgeous “Green Finch and Linnet Bird” holds many colors), Craig McEldowney is a deliciously flamboyant and spiteful Adolfo Pirelli, DJ Plunkett brilliantly conveys tenderness, vulnerability, spunk, and dread as Pirelli’s humble assistant Tobias Ragg (his moving rendition of “Not While I’m Around” is a genuine heartbreaker), Aaron Vega is a delightfully snide and vindictive Beadle Bamford (his clear falsetto is put to great use in “Ladies in Their Sensitivities”), Christine Zavakos is a playful yet foreboding Beggar Woman, and Scott Hunt (Tobias in the 1996 production) is an appropriately malevolent Jonas Fogg. The fantastic and impactful ensemble, connected through Tracey Bonner’s character-conscious choreography and blessed with phenomenal vocal power as well as a unified versatility to fluidly transform whether as mourning Londoners or hysteric lunatics, consists of Gina Handy, Drew Helton, Cassi Mikat, Nathan Robert Pecchia, David Shough, Sherri L. Sutter (Johanna in 1996 production), and Kandis Wean.

Additionally, scenic designer Dan Gray’s efficient, revolving set is bolstered by a throng of windows evoking the Industrial Revolution. Janet G. Powell’s attractive period costumes distinctly range from drab to swanky (notice Sweeney, Lovett and Tobias’ fancy attire at the top of Act 2). John Rensel’s lighting design marvelously captures varying moods, specifically sending chills up my spine when a barrage of lights ominously beam through the windows at the conclusion of Sweeney and Lovett’s cheerfully eerie “A Little Priest” signaling the beginning of the end for customers along Fleet Street. Music director Sean Michael Flowers leads an eight-piece band that occasionally feels distant but is well-balanced nonetheless despite a few timing glitches on opening night. Jay Brunner’s unsettling sound design aids in spooky ambiance but was also shaky on opening night.

One of the production’s final, lasting images involves a young man contemplating an evil plunge into darkness. It is a chilling reminder giving credence to Sondheim’s probing question which should never be taken lightly: “Isn’t that Sweeney there beside you?” After all, anyone at any time has the potential to simply snap. Attend this tale and rediscover why.

 

“Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street – A Musical Thriller” continues through Oct. 2 at the Loft Theatre of the Metropolitan Arts Center, 126 N. Main St., Dayton. Act One: 90 minutes; Act Two: 60 minutes. Performances are 8 p.m. Sept. 15-17, 22-24, and 29-Oct. 1; 7 p.m. Sept. 13-14, 20-21, 27-28; and 2 p.m. Sept. 18, 25 and Oct. 2. Tickets are $12-$50 (prices vary depending on performance date). There are a limited number of $12 side area seats available for each performance. For tickets or more information, call (937) 228-3630 or visit www.humanracetheatre.org or ticketcenterstage.com. Patrons are advised the production contains adult language and themes.

 

‘Other Desert Cities’ Review – The Cost of Thriving **Ticket Contest**

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HRTC ODC Prod Photo 1Painful lies and political allegiances consume the dysfunctional Wyeth family of Palm Springs in Jon Robin Baitz’s compelling 2011 Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize-nominated drama “Other Desert Cities,” commendably staged by Margarett Perry in its local premiere by the Human Race Theatre Company.
On Christmas Eve 2004, envisioned within beautifully stylish surroundings by set designer Tamara L. Honesty, the Wyeths are far from merry and bright. Republican hotshots Polly and Lyman fiercely clash with their liberal, emotionally scarred daughter Brooke, a novelist who plans to publish her scandalous “Love and Mercy: A Memoir” that startlingly reveals some unsettling truths about her privileged upbringing. More concerned with perception than reality, Polly and Lyman quickly scold and threaten Brooke, calling her characterizations of their friends “grotesque” in the hope she will postpone or completely scrap her plans. “You’d still be my daughter, but the meaning of it would change,” warns Polly in particular before planting a chilling kiss on her cheek that speaks volumes. However, Brooke finds favor and encouragement from her recovering alcoholic aunt Silda, Polly’s liberal sister, as well as her easygoing brother Trip, who has become somewhat of a black sheep due to his frowned upon association with reality television.

 

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Baitz’s battle of wills, sometimes unnecessarily overtly political, is tightly drawn in Act 1 giving the audience a productive pathway into rooting for or against Brooke’s mission. Even so, he masterfully raises the stakes by fashioning a more engrossing Act 2 crafted around a secret that would destroy the family if the public ever knew. Carefully taught “how to control things” by none other than Nancy Reagan, Polly and Lyman ultimately risk everything to explain the cost of thriving, the ability to navigate among certain circles without blemish in order to fuel discretion and protect image.
An exceptionally domineering Kate Young and admirable Scott Stoney compatibly blend as the core couple whose scorn sets the action in motion, far more noticeable as a driving force here than the original Broadway production which tipped the scales in favor of Brooke (Rachel Griffiths, an alumna of Baitz’s terrific ABC family drama “Brothers & Sisters”) and Silda (a phenomenal Judith Light). Young and Stoney memorably partnered under Perry’s direction nine years ago in the Human Race’s splendid local premiere of “The Retreat from Moscow” (Young’s electrifying portrayal of a rejected wife remains among the best I have seen on a local stage) and their welcomed reunion is long overdue. Skillfully attacking her role with incredible nuances and an impressive proficiency of language, Young is a force to behold as Polly spews her opinionated, often politically incorrect views while ruling the roost. Stoney, in a less showy capacity, becomes too stiff when exuding Lyman’s rigidity, but amiably showcases the character’s softer side when revealing his genuine love and concern for Brooke.

 

Additionally, Jennifer Joplin brings intensity, compassion and wit to the tenacious Brooke in a solid portrayal effortlessly escalating to heartbreaking degrees when her dreams are unexpectedly shattered. As Silda, Sherman Fracher surprisingly stops short of taking her juicy role to sardonic, Edward Albee-esque proportions but provides apt comic relief and an astute understanding of her character’s familial disdain and discontent. Aaron Vega, humorous and impactful, turns Trip into an engaging, entertaining mediator.
“I don’t like weakness,” says Polly during one of her diatribes. “You can die from too much sensitivity in this world.” It’s clear the Wyeths may never recover from their self-inflected wounds. Thankfully, Baitz and the Human Race certainly make their journey rewarding and unforgettable.

“Other Desert Cities” continues through April 13 at the Loft Theatre of the Metropolitan Arts Center, 126 N. Main St., Dayton. Performances are Wednesday-Saturday evenings at 8 p.m., Tuesday evenings at 7 p.m.; Sunday matinees at 2 p.m. Act One: 65 minutes; Act Two: 47 minutes. Tickets are $36-$43 (prices vary depending on performance date and discounts are also available). For tickets or more information, call Ticket Center Stage at (937) 228-3630 or visit www.ticketcenterstage.com or www.humanracetheatre.org

TICKET CONTEST:

We’ve got 2 pairs of ticket to giveaway for Other Desert Cities.  To enter our drawing, just like this article, comment below on why you should win and fill out the form below.    Contest now closed.  Congratulations to Jamie McQuinn and Vicki Thompson.

 

 

 

‘Torch Song Trilogy’ Review – Human Race Theatre Company – Who Will Love Me As I Am?

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Jamison Stern as Arnold in “Torch Song Trilogy”

Harvey Fierstein’s groundbreaking 1983 Tony Award-winning dramedy “Torch Song Trilogy” captivates with delightful humor and poignant heartbreak in its outstanding Human Race Theatre Company debut.
Skillfully directed by Scott Stoney and intimately transpiring on a revolving set by Scott J. Kimmins, “Torch Song Trilogy” predates AIDS in its blunt, colorful, sexually charged account of larger-than-life Arnold Beckoff, a funny, flamboyant, torch song-adoring Jewish drag queen longing to find Mr. Right in New York City. As the title suggests, Arnold’s saga occurs in three segments spanning seven years. “International Stud,” the boldest portion, launches the show in 1978 centered on Arnold’s attraction to bisexual Ed Reese, a choice that holds immense ramifications. A year later, in “Fugue in a Nursery,” Arnold and his new partner Alan, a young model/hustler, are invited to the country home of Ed and his fiancée Laurel only to have their burgeoning relationship put to the test. Five years later, in “Widows and Children First!,” Arnold, still mourning Alan’s untimely death as a victim of a hate crime, seeks to adopt a gay teenager, which infuriates his intolerant mother. Stoney, avoiding the temptation to go broad or melodramatic, expertly grasps the play’s clever intricacies and varying shifts in tone, particularly providing excellent blocking for Act 2 which symbolically takes place on a large bed with the aforementioned foursome continuously altering positions in bedrooms and other locations.

 

Jamison Stern as Arnold and Jon Hacker as Alan in "Torch Song Trilogy"

Jamison Stern as Arnold and Jon Hacker as Alan in “Torch Song Trilogy”

The fantastic Jamison Stern, a sharp comedian and find singer dives into Arnold’s vivid evolution from independence to fatherhood with great vulnerability. Exposing a gamut of emotions over the course of three and a half hours encompassing racy comic relief and tear-jerking defiance with a terrific rendition of “The Man That Got Away” thrown in for good measure, Stern fuels Arnold’s desire for connection and companionship with sincerity and passion. He has a winning rapport with all of his fellow actors, but his dynamically dramatic work in Act 3 opposite a brutally stern Patricia Linhart as Mrs. Beckoff provides significant sparks that cut deep.

Jamie Cordes, typically seen in musicals, commendably delivers one of his most complex portrayals as the hopelessly mysterious and perturbing Ed. Lisa Ann Goldsmith is an engaging open book as the forgiving and understanding Laurel, who has a history of attracting bisexual men. The endlessly charming Jon Hacker, a Wright State University standout, appealingly embodies Alan as a carefree romantic. As David, a damaged product of foster care who finally finds solace and meaning with Arnold, Philip Thomas Stock, a senior at Stivers School for the Arts, enjoyably fits the mold of a wisecracking teen. In addition to portraying Mrs. Beckoff, Linhart amplifies the potency of Act 1 in Janet G. Powell’s lovely gowns as torch singer Lady Blues, particularly shining with “I Don’t Care Much.”

Jasmion Stern as Arnold and Patricia Linhart as Mrs. Beckoff in "Torch Song Trilogy"

Jasmion Stern as Arnold and Patricia Linhart as Mrs. Beckoff in “Torch Song Trilogy”

“Torch Song Trilogy” transcends sexuality in its pursuit of happiness, but bittersweet feelings remain when you consider what the future held for Arnold as AIDS devastatingly transformed the community he treasured so dearly. But I prefer to believe Arnold is currently supporting the wave of marriage equality and feverishly anticipating the upcoming season of “RuPaul’s Drag Race.” And above all, I hope he’s truly content with someone special who absolutely accepts everything about him – his faults, his goodness, his insecurities, his preferences, his eccentricities, his past – in genuine love.

 

“Torch Song Trilogy” continues through Feb. 16 at the Loft Theatre of the Metropolitan Arts Center, 126 N. Main St., Dayton. Performances are Wednesdays-Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. There is also a 7 p.m. performance Feb. 4. Act One: 55 minutes; Act Two: 60 minutes; Act Three: 80 minutes. There are two intermissions. Tickets are $31-$40 for adults, $29-$38 for seniors and $16.50-$20.50 for students. Discounts are available. For tickets, call Ticket Center Stage at (937) 228-3630 or visit www.ticketcenterstage.com or www.humanracetheatre.org. Patrons are advised the show contains adult language and content. There is also a special talkback scheduled following the Feb. 9 performance. The Greater Dayton LGBT Center has partnered with the Race to present LGBT Pride Night for the Feb. 11 performance.

 

Human Race Takes On Torch Song Trilogy **Ticket Contest**

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TORCH SONG TRILOGY publicity photo with Jamison Stern, Jon Hacker, Patricia Linhart, Philip Thomas Stock and Jamie Cordes. Photo by Scott J. Kimmins.

The Human Race Theatre Company starts 2014 with Harvey Fierstein‘s award-winning and rarely-produced three-act play, Torch Song Trilogy. Poignant and filled with witty, sharp humor, Fierstein’s deeply personal story of self-discovery redefined an era in gay America. What begins as a chance encounter in a New York nightclub leads drag-queen Arnold Beckoff in a hilarious, yet touching, pursuit of love, happiness and a life of which he can be proud. From a failed affair with a reluctant lover, to a committed relationship with a young model and the promise of a stable family, Arnold’s struggle for acceptance meets its greatest challenge in his intolerant mother.

Torch Song Trilogy originated as a series of one-act plays ­- International Stud, Fugue in a Nursery and Widows and Children First! – that premiered individually Off-Off-Broadway at La MaMa ETC beginning in 1978, when actor/writerHarvey Fierstein was just 23 years old. The three plays were then united under the umbrella title Torch Song Trilogy and presented Off-Broadway in 1981 at the Actors’ Playhouse, where it received positive reviews from critics and audiences alike. The production then transferred to Broadway in 1982, ran for 1,222 performances, and won Fierstein Drama Desk and Tony Awards for Best Play and Best Actor. Fierstein has been an icon for Gay America since the 80s and is well-known to audiences for his gravelly voice and witty dialogue. In addition to his early success with Torch Song Trilogy, he also wrote the books for the Broadway musicals La Cage aux Folles (for which he won a second Tony Award), A Catered Affair, Newsies and Kinky Boots. He has performed onstage in such Broadway shows as La Cage aux Folles, Hairspray and Fiddler on the Roof, as well as in numerous films and television shows.

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TORCH SONG TRILOGY publicity photo with Jamison Stern as “Arnold” and Patricia Linhart as “Mrs. Beckoff”.

“Torch Song was written in a time before AIDS, before the debate over Marriage Equality,” says Producing Artistic Director Kevin Moore. “Revisiting this amazing script was not a political choice, it was a ‘human’ choice. This story speaks volumes about our individual struggles for love and acceptance – and it applies to any era. By setting the play in its original time period-the late 1970s to early 1980s-we are given a chance to see both how far we have come…and not come.”

Director and Human Race Resident Artist Scott Stoney (Next to Normal; Caroline, or Change; August: Osage County) leads The Human Race’s production with a talented cast of six actors: Jamison Stern (Broadway’s By Jeeves and How the Grinch Stole Christmas, national tours of Beauty and the Beast and Little Shop of Horrors) as “Arnold”, Resident Artists Jamie Cordes (Next to Normal, right next to me) as “Ed” and Patricia Linhart (Becky’s New Car, The Drowsy Chaperone) as “Mrs. Beckoff” and “Lady Blues”, Lisa Ann Goldsmith (Macbeth, Pittsburgh Public Theatre’s As You Like It) as “Laurel”, Jon Hacker (Next to Normal, Wright State University’s Oklahoma!) as “Alan” and Stivers School for the Arts student Philip Thomas Stock (Muse Machine’s All You Need Is Love, Dayton Theatre Guild‘s Lost in Yonkers) as “David”.

388809_359266167432627_1468161317_nThe Dayton-based drag performance group The Rubi Girls will serve as hosts for the Friday, January 31 opening night performance. The Greater Dayton LGBT Center has partnered with The Human Race to present “LGBT Pride Night at The Loft Theatre” for the Tuesday, February 11 evening performance. Center members can purchase discounted tickets through its website: www.daytonlgbtcenter.org.

Ticket Contest:
DMM will be sending 2 lucky winners and a guest to see Torch Song Trilogy as our guests.  To enter our contest, just like this article, tell us why you should win in the comments below and fill out this form. We’ll post our winner Tues after 9pm. 

Congratulations to our ticket winnerss Shelly Hulce & Brian Coleman

Coming up in Dayton theatre, 12/14 – 12/23

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Hello again, one and all. I can’t believe that this edition will bring us right up to the edge of Christmas and, ergo, nearly to the dawn of 2013. Things do tend to slow down a bit as we coast into the Holiday Season, most shows are done with their runs before Christmas and new ones don’t really start up again until we get into January. But there are still several offerings out here for you to sample. For starts!

Closing This Weekend!

12 Dancing Princess

Xenia Area Community Theatre (X*ACT)

The Skinny:X*ACT bills this production as a “Holiday family show,” and indeed this story is one that will please the youngest among us. Based on the Brothers Grimm fairy tale, it follows the 12 daughters of a king who are locked in their bedroom each night, and yet appear each morning with shoes worn out from dancing.

Dates: Closing on the 16th.

Tickets: Tickets are available at the door, for more information please visit the X*ACT website, here.

A Christmas Carol

Zoot Theatre Company

The Skinny: Dayton’s puppet theatre company takes on Dickens seasonal classic, delightfully retelling this classic morality play as only Zoot can.

Dates: Closing this weekend, on the 15th.

Tickets: Tickets are available at the Dayton Art Institute website, here.

Scrooge

The Dayton Playhouse

The Skinny: Adapted from the Charles Dickens classic, “A Christmas Carol,” this musical closely follows the classic story with the miserly Ebenezer undergoing a profound experience of redemption over the course of a Christmas Eve night, after being visited by the ghost of his former partner Jacob Marley and the Spirits of Christmas past, present and future.

Dates: Three performances left, closing on 12/16.

Tickets: Tickets are available at the Dayton Playhouse website, here.

Annie

Troy Civic Theatre

The Skinny: The famous musical version of Lil’ Orphan Annie is,indeed, a Christmas-set offering. This show is a heart-warming favorite, sure to please families with kids, or without.

Dates: One more weekend, closing on the 15th.

Tickets: Tickets are available for reservation by calling 937-339-7700. Pricing information can be found at the Troy Civic Theatre website, here.

Continuing!

Oliver!

The Human Race Theatre Company

The Skinny: Christmas Eve in London, 1838. A small group of working-class, wayward souls gather in a tavern to celebrate when a small, unexpected guest prompts a spontaneous telling of the popular Oliver Twist. With traditional music-hall flair, they delve into Charles Dickens’ haunting moral tale as the lines between story and reality blur. Sized perfectly for The Loft Theatre, this reimagining of the classic Tony Award®-winning musical will touch your heart and challenge your spirit. It’s Oliver with a twist, indeed! Dayton Most Metro’s Russell Florence reviewed Oliver! Click here to read it!

Dates: You’ve got several more chances to catch this wonderful production, which runs through the 22nd.

Tickets: Tickets are available through the Human Race Theatre Company website, here.

One Weekend Only!

In The Spotlight!

Playhouse South

The Skinny: Playhouse Souths annual revue-style evening of musical theatre selections, this year entitled “At The Movies” and featuring numbers from musicals, TV shows and movies.

Dates: Two performances only, December 2oth and 21st.

Tickets: Tickets are available at the Playhouse South website, here.

 

So, that all gives you plenty to see up to Christmas eve eve eve (12/22)!  Remember, a night at the theatre is not only a wonderful date, it’s also a splendid holiday gift! There’s 9 days til Christmas and 2 nights of Hanukkah left…head to your favorite theatre box office and buy tickets!

ON STAGE DAYTON REVIEW: Oliver! (Human Race Theatre Company) – A Dynamic Dickensian Delight

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Pictured: The cast of Oliver! Photo by Scott J. Kimmins

Lionel Bart’s perennial “Oliver!,” his immensely tuneful 1960 adaptation of Charles Dickens’ classic novel “Oliver Twist,” has been thrillingly reborn as a dynamic, ensemble-driven triumph at the Human Race Theatre Company.

Astutely conceived with inspired direction by Alan Souza, previously associated with the Human Race productions of “Was” and “Ears on a Beatle,” “Oliver!” doesn’t begin in the traditional confines of a workhouse with a throng of hungry orphans. In Souza’s innovative landscape, the Dickensian London setting is Christmas Eve 1838 in a modest British pub, handsomely designed by David A Centers. The “Food, Glorious Food” is still praised, but the song primarily belongs to an assortment of ordinary, tough, working class men who know the tavern and each other very well, particularly the curiously combative, foreshadowing relationship between the bartender and his significant other whose child he derides. Souza doesn’t reveal their identities, which may be perturbing or perplexing to some, but these individuals are undeniably unified as their rough and tumble existence finds welcomed relief and unexpected similarities in an impromptu decision to interpret this musical rendering of “Oliver Twist,” originally published in monthly installments in “Bentley’s Miscellany” periodical beginning in 1837.

Pictured: The cast of Oliver! Photo by Scott J. Kimmins

As the bouncy title song kicks into gear, this rowdy bunch, appropriately with periodical in hand, seamlessly transition from the tavern backdrop into the familiar framework of the tale, full of the engaging, iconic characters Dickens meticulously constructed to mirror the corrupt, hypocritical, impoverished and menacing society he knew so well. Thanks to Souza’s incredibly versatile 10-member cast, Spencer Liff’s phenomenal choreography, Helen Gregory’s first-rate musical direction, and John Rensel’s excellently subtle lighting design, the two worlds smoothly coalesce without overt confusion. Fortunately, Souza’s fresh, communal approach doesn’t produce a dull moment and is consistently arresting. Even the altered if abrupt conclusion, authentically correlating with “Oliver Twist” remaining unfinished in “Bentley’s Miscellany” until 1839, packs a dark, dramatic punch. It’s extremely exciting and rare to see a director reinterpret a tried and true product with intimate boldness. In fact, Souza’s vision recalls John Doyle’s scaled-down, ensemble-centric 2005 Tony-winning revival of “Sweeney Todd,” which also lived uniquely outside the box within an intriguing milieu. And for pure ingenuity, Souza, Liff and Gregory’s kinship recalls Roger Rees and Alex Timbers’ equally creative handling of this year’s Tony-nominated play-with-music “Peter and the Starcatcher.”

Pictured: The cast of Oliver! Photo by Scott J. Kimmins

Liff, a Broadway standout who received an Emmy nomination four months ago for his splendid routines on last season’s edition of Fox’s “So You Think You Can Dance,” absolutely pulls out the stops using nearly every inch of the Loft Theatre stage for a dazzling array of breathtaking, energetic, applause-inducing sequences reflecting his trademark athletic artistry. In addition to his fantastic use of set pieces and props adhering to the tavern setting, I was particularly in awe of the jubilant atmospherics of the show-stopping “Consider Yourself,” the fast-paced cleverness permeating “You’ve Got to Pick a Pocket or Two,” the humorously posh sensibilities within “I’d Do Anything,” the amusing nod to “Les Miserables” in “Be Back Soon,” the rambunctious kicks, leaps and twirls of “Oom-Pah-Pah,” and the sliding, gliding, gleeful exuberance of “Who Will Buy?” The spirited ensemble is vigorously immersed in every mesmerizing routine to the utmost, undergoing the epitome of a theatrical workout. I wouldn’t be surprised if Gatorade is stored backstage for this hard-working crew.

Attractively costumed in period attire by Molly Walz, Souza’s marvelously cohesive cast portrays multiple roles with expertly detailed aplomb. In the titular role, Blaise Bouschard is an appealingly innocent, humble presence offering pleasant vocals, especially in his sincerely plaintive rendition of “Where is Love?” Gary Troy’s humorously slick, shrewd interpretation of Fagin, the scoundrel who craves his treasure and independence with equal passion, culminates with a delectably superb “Reviewing the Situation.” As the saucy, abused Nancy, Sara Sheperd, a terrific vocalist and a lively source of vigor and warmth, particularly supplies a compelling rendition of the lovely torch ballad “As Long as He Needs Me.” Nicholas Belton, another fine singer, is a perfectly brooding Bill Sikes. Joseph Medeiros, a skillfully sharp dancer with numerous Broadway credits, is a charming, crafty and witty Artful Dodger. He also scores big laughs as Widow Corney in “I Shall Scream” opposite the fittingly authoritative and droll Scott Stoney as Mr. Bumble. Adam Lendermon delights as creepy undertaker Mr. Sowerberry and is strikingly believable as the gentle, soft-spoken Mrs. Bedwin. Chris Shea is a great fit as the kindly Mr. Brownlow and the hopelessly agitated Mrs. Sowerberry. Ian DeVine, a Wright State University senior musical theater major who continues to amaze, winningly startles and intimidates as the cruel Noah Claypole. As Bet, the aforementioned, multitasking Gregory amiably partners with Sheperd for back-to-back knockouts “It’s a Fine Life” and “I’d Do Anything.”

Pictured: The cast of Oliver! Photo by Scott J. Kimmins

Brilliantly enhancing the art of storytelling through concept, song and dance, Souza, Liff and Gregory have overseen a must-see showcase, coinciding with the bicentennial of Dickens’ birth, which could have a life beyond Dayton in regional theaters or beyond. After all, Broadway hasn’t revived “Oliver!” since 1984, and considering the current success of the Roundabout Theatre Company’s terrific production of “The Mystery of Edwin Drood,” there could be a timely Dickens resurgence brewing which this version could promisingly accentuate.

Purists may scoff, but the Human Race supplies a joyously refreshing experience expanding the possibilities of what musical theater can be.

“Oliver!” continues through Dec. 22 in the Loft Theatre of the Human Race Theatre Company, 126 N. Main St., Dayton. Act One: 60 minutes; Act Two: 40 minutes. Performances are Tuesday at 7 p.m., Wednesday-Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. There is also a 2 p.m. performance on Dec. 22. The Dec. 11 performance is sold out. A post-show discussion will follow the Dec. 9 performance. Jonah Sorscher is also featured in the cast as the Oliver understudy. Tickets are $17.50-$45. A limited number of $25 tickets are available for each performance. Call Ticket Center Stage at (937) 228-3630 or visit www.humanracetheatre.org or www.ticketcenterstage.com. For more information, call the Human Race at (937) 461-3823 or visit www.humanracetheatre.org.