MONMOUTH, Ill. –
Monmouth College and
the Buchanan Center
for the Arts are
once again joining
forces to bring live
theatre to the area,
and this time they
will bring to life
one of the classic
stage musicals.
Directed and
choreographed by
Monmouth theatre
professor
Vanessa Campagna,
Oliver!
will conclude the
College’s theatre
season April 11-14
in Wells Theater.
Included is an extra
matinee performance
at 2 p.m. April 13.
The musical
adaptation of
Charles Dickens’
Oliver Twist
tells the story of a
malnourished orphan
boy who escapes the
drudgery of life at
a workhouse and then
as an undertaker’s
apprentice by
fleeing to London.
There, Oliver finds
acceptance among a
gang of boys who
pick pockets, and
then later comes
under the care of
kindly Mr. Brownlow,
who saves him from
London’s slums.
Throughout the
story, Oliver yearns
to discover the true
meaning of family.
With the music,
lyrics and book by
Lionel Bart,
Oliver! has
been among the more
beloved stage
musicals since it
premiered on the
London stage in
1960.
Campagna said that
the theme of
Oliver’s yearning
for “home” is one of
the reasons the show
has been a popular
choice to produce
for more than a
half-century.
“The child
protagonist, who is
perpetually
searching for home
and for community,
is very endearing,”
she said. “The
desire for a sense
of belonging makes
it an absolutely
human story. That’s
where I really found
my entrance point
(as a director). ...
The themes of
community and home
are salient in the
text, but I really
wanted to push them
in my staging of the
work on this
residential campus
and in the context
of a co-production
with the local
community.”
Campagna said she
has made some
“judicious” edits to
shorten the
musical’s typical
three-hour run. The
run time will be two
hours, with a
15-minute
intermission. “The
true narrative is
still there. ...
We’ve made it
digestible while
still preserving
that story.”
“A 2009 London
revival helped make
the music even more
robust, and the
orchestration has
also been developed
in really exciting
ways,” she said.
Although she was
familiar with the
musical before
taking on the
Monmouth-BCA
production, this is
the first time
Campagna has been
involved with
Oliver!
professionally. One
of the characters
that she has
developed a new
appreciation for is
Fagin, the older man
who leads the gang
of pickpocket boys.
“Fagin is absolutely
comedic relief,” she
said. “You could
laugh at him and
leave it at that.
But he’s this
character who faces
a tremendous ethical
dilemma. He says, ‘I
need to survive
amidst these really
dire economic
circumstances,’ so
he makes choices
that probably most
of us wouldn’t agree
with – he exploits
children and he’s a
thief. But at the
end of the play, he
actually discovers
that there’s a
better way for him.
Exploring the depth
of that character
has been really
rewarding.”
Beneath the theme of
searching for home
and acceptance are
other relevant
current issues, such
as food insecurity,
homelessness,
domestic violence
and abandonment.
“We’ve found some
really nice moments
in the rehearsal
process to pause and
identify these
sociopolitical
issues that in the
21st century we
absolutely should be
speaking about,”
said Campagna.
# # #
Monmouth College
will present
“Oliver!” at 7:30
p.m. April 11-13 and
at 2 p.m. April
13-14 at Wells
Theater. Tickets can
be purchased online
at
department.monm.edu/theatre.
Tickets are $8 for
adults, $7 for
seniors and
students, and $6 for
students and faculty
with a Monmouth
College ID.