Heritage’s production of “Oliver!”, by Lionel Bart, begins on Thursday, March 12th and continues to Saturday, March 14th. There are 4 shows in total: 2 at 6 pm on Thursday and Friday, and 2 at 1 and 7 pm on Saturday.
The show is based on Charles Dickens’ novel, “Oliver Twist”, but revised for musical theater. The story follows a young orphan named Oliver and his journeys after being sold to the Sowerberry Funeral Home. He ends up running away and joining a gang of pickpockets led by Fagin. The rest of the play is Oliver trying to stay out of trouble after a robbery gone wrong.
Picking Oliver follows Mr. Kelley’s philosophy of switching between contemporary and classic shows. Mamma Mia was a contemporary pick while Oliver is a classic. This also follows up on the contemporary play from this year, which was “Trap”.
With over 100 cast and crew members, it is a big production with lots to do. Casting began in December and rehearsals in January, giving just about 2 months total.
The show has a lot of big technical aspects. Lighting head Maeve Gillies ‘26 says, “Ensuring that our color palettes were good, but also making sure that we had the right kind of lighting and effects, all in a timely manner was a big challenge, but I’m proud of what we have accomplished.”
Among these are also the usual challenges of theater. Brooklyn Nason ‘26 commented, “I face getting over my own anxiety about being a lead, because being a lead is really scary.” The show being set in early 1800s England, also calls for accents. Actors have to speak and sing in both cockney and received pronunciation (RP) accents.
These challenges have been overcome, and the production is a great watch. Make sure to come support!