Oliver
The Source
When the musical Oliver! transferred from London to the United States in 1962 they shipped the original scenery across the Atlantic on a boat. However, the U.S. director thought the colors were too bright and garish so he hired two painters to glaze over the scenery and tone it down. The men worked all day, right up until curtain time and since they still weren’t finished at show time they put on British workman’s costumes and kept painting on the set all through acts one and two. When the performance ended on opening night the two painters took their bows along with the cast. Reviewers noted that the show was so authentic because it included two London house painters, but the writers wondered why they were eliminated after opening night. When Oliver opens at the Playhouse on the Square on July 29th we can be assured that the set will be done and the cast will be prepared to perform this classic piece of musical theatre based on Charles Dickens’ Oliver Twist. Laurie McCoy has assembled a cast of talented local performers to present the Lionel Bart musical on July 29-31 and August 5-7. Oliver! first came to Jacksonville in 1980 on the Sophie Leschin stage, and although the Playhouse stage is a much smaller venue, McCoy has found a way to fill the house with urchins, orphans, beggars, pickpockets, fops, scoundrels, and lovable waifs. She says, “The Playhouse is thrilled to present Oliver! this summer. We have come to find that this old chestnut is the perennial favorite for many people.” The cast for Oliver! will be one of the largest to walk the Playhouse stage but the Jacksonville and Springfield actors have enjoyed working in the comfy confines of the theatre on the east side of the Jacksonville Square. “One of the challenges of the show is that it’s one of the few musicals where the kids carry so many leading roles,” said assistant director, Kim Shafer. Heading up the kids’ cast are local boys Marcellus Speed and Carson Cole as Oliver and the Artful Dodger. Rick Dunham of Springfield plays the conniving Fagin, with local favorite Kendi Klein as Nancy and Rob DeCroix as the evil Bill Sykes. Also featured in the show are former Routt boy Jim Hepworth as Mr. Sowerberry and Rich McCoy as Mr. Bumble with Kim Shafer as Mrs. Sowerberry. Rounding out the cast of the London-based plot are Myles Leonard, Carla De Lay, Cathy Randall, Mike Schneider, Hallie Mason, Sydney Geyston, Sean McCord, Gavin Cox, Becky Tosh, Lydia Tosh, Morgan Cole, Ian Meek, Mckenzie McGee, Teddy Reed, Cora Oldenburg, Westyn Leonard, Macy Hansen, Oliva Curry, Kate Adams, Jared Adams, Claire Stults, Lexie Cole, Annaliese Oldenburg, Rachel Beeley, Gracie McCombs, Emily Buchanan, and Laura Maruna. The dance-rich show is choreographed by Dorothy Hutchinson-Gross with vocal direction by Amanda Cox-Otto and Sherri Mitchell. Shafer said that one of the joys of Oliver! comes when the younger and older cast members work together. She said, “They learn so much from each other.” Since the dissolution of the Jacksonville Theatre Guild, the community has been without the tradition of the big-scale summer musical. Last year the Playhouse revived the tradition with its production of The Sound of Music, and Oliver! steps gladly into the shoes of the JTG tradition. Rich McCoy, co-owner of the theatre said, “We bring in lots of shows that are “package” and that’s sort of been our trademark but a community needs a venue where anyone can audition. That’s how we grow future casts and audiences, so we’re happy to do shows like Oliver!” Tickets for Oliver! can be purchased next door to the theatre at The Soap Company Coffee House, Our Town Books, or by calling 217.491.3977. And who knows, local audiences may see a future star on stage at the Playhouse. When the play premiered in London in 1960, a fresh-faced young Brit named Davy Jones played the role of the Artful Dodger. Davy went on to become a member of the TV band The Monkees. Then in 1964 three members of the Broadway Oliver! cast appeared on the Ed Sullivan show the same evening a band called The Beatles made their first U.S. television appearance.