This year’s Prince William Little Theatre and Manassas Symphony Orchestra will perform “Oliver!” from July 14-16 at the Hylton Performing Arts Center’s grand Merchant Hall. The show, which features a large cast of adults and children, should appeal to anyone who loves musicals theatre, music, drama, and even literature and history. It’s a family-friendly production that explores deep themes while still providing big laughs.
Lionel Bart’s 1960 stage musical “Oliver!”, based upon Charles Dickens's 1838 novel “Oliver Twist,” follows the story of an orphan navigating London’s underworld, all the while searching for a home and family. Despite serious themes such as poverty and child abuse, the musical includes timeless songs and spirited characters.
Melanie McCleerey (PWLT "Sister Act" and "Annie") brings those characters to life through her directorial debut with the Prince William Little Theatre. Although McCleerey recognizes the immensity of the themes, she also directs her actors to create big humorous personas for Dicken’s often farcical characters.
McCleerey’s exuberance helps the show strikes the right balance between somber and enthusiasm that captures the spirit of “Oliver!” and makes it a laugh-out-loud experience for audiences.
“Oliver!” also lends itself to orchestration, which allows the two performing arts companies to partner together as they did successfully for “The Sound of Music,” last summer
This year, McCleerey is taking the partnership one step further, having the orchestra perform on stage, rather than the pit. The musicians will appear in costume, and even get pickpocketed by the children to create an “immersive” experience.
“It’s particularly exciting that it’s in a big space and that we are working with another arts partner in the community,” said Assistant Director and Producer Rebecca “Becky” Gould-Levine, who also produced PWLT's "Sister Act."
And as Oliver searches for a family, it seems appropriate that parents, children, and siblings perform together in “Oliver! There are 13 families involved in the production, and McCleery, who is also directing her daughters, Brielle and Alannah, and son Dash, said the cast came together as one big family, supporting each other.
Big is another theme of PWLT’s “Oliver!”
One hundred people came to auditions for the show. McCleerey said she saw so much talent it was difficult to turn people away. “It’s a great problem to have. We even had to turn away men,” she said, which is unusual for community theater.
To utilize as much talent as possible, she convinced the Little Theatre to expand the ensemble, and that is how “Oliver!” ended up with a cast of 50 individuals, including 20 young people.
“It’s the largest show we’ve done as far as the cast, but there was so much talent who came out,” said Chrissy Mastrangelo, former president of the Prince William Little Theatre. The Little Theatre is fortunate to draw from a depth of talent that exists in Northern Virginia, said Mastrangelo, but they do not cast based on resume.
“You never have to have the experience; you just need to have the drive. We cast people from all walks of life. We strive for diversity,” she said.
The diversity in “Oliver!” is derived from the age difference among cast members, which ranges from five years to 70. And while many of the children play pickpockets, a few take the spotlight.
Newcomer to PWLT Mauro Manganello, of Fairfax High School, stars in the titular role of Oliver Twist. Mauro has performed in such roles as the Genie in “Aladdin” and Pinocchio in “Shrek, Jr.”
Avery Heisey, plays the Artful Dodger, leader of a gang of pickpockets. She performed in “The Sound of Music” and "Peter and the Star-Catcher." Avery is performing in “Oliver!” alongside her sisters Addisyn and Aleyna and her mom, Darcy, is working on set construction.
The show also benefits from a wealth of adult talent and experience.
George Fulda, who studied at the Moscow Art Theatre School, plays the charismatic Fagan. George is returning to theater after 25 years and is joined by his wife Samantha (“The Sound of Music”) son, Alex, and daughter, Lili.
Jolene Vettese, who plays the kind-hearted Nancy, has performed in professional and community theater for 30+ years, including with the Smithsonian Discovery Theater, Next Stop Theatre Co., and Stagecoach Theatre Co.
Patrick Mahoney, a voice actor who performed in WPA’s “Xanadu,” plays Bill Sikes. Stu Fischer of PWLT “Peter and the Star Catcher” plays Dr. Grimwig.
Main other cast members have performed in various local theatre productions with PWLT, Pied Piper Theatre and Rooftop Productions, including Chris Anderson, Megan Burke Samantha Fulda, Earle Greene, Wilson Johnson, Nick MacFarlane, Janice Dionne, Jill Figueiras, Caroline Kinney and Tina Mullins.
Gould-Levine shares that she and McCleerey met in a mom’s group, and when Cleerey, who has a background in theater, decided to audition for the Prince William Little Theatre, she decided to join her. Gould-Levine believes it is never too nor is it too early to become involved in community theater.
She has enjoyed coaching children in the theatre arts and working with her son Ryan, who is in the youth ensemble.
“I love the creativity that community theater instills in kids. You see the growth of these kids, especially those who have never been in theater,” she said.
Avery Heisey plays Artful Dodger, a 12-year-old boy who leads a gang of young pickpockets said the show has helped her expand as an actress.
“Playing a character very different than myself - it’s not just body language, not just facial reaction (that’s challenging)- it’s dialect, it’s changing my voice,” Avery said.
She also describes the musical as “very grounded in acting,” compared to ones she has done before.
Gould-Levine believes “Oliver!” is complex in various mediums. “It’s dramatic, and musically, it’s heavy. It is well-rounded. It’s a lot of movement, and so many pieces layered on top of that.”
But it is accessible to all audiences, and that is the idea.
“’Oliver!’ is an old classic that a lot of people remember, and it allows us to collaborate with a big group of people, which I love,” the assistant director said.
She hopes people will come out to see “Oliver!” at the Hylton Performing Art Center’s Merchant Hall located on George Mason University’s Manassas Campus. PWLT will be performing afternoon and evening shows from July 14 to 16.
Tickets are available via the Hylton Performing Arts Center and can be purchased HERE! BEST PRICE DIRECTLY FROM GMU HYLTON CENTER
MORE ABOUT THE SHOW, CAST & PARTICIPANTS
The youth ensemble includes Ciara Anderson, Kaitlyn Byrd, Matthew Campos, Luke Dollery, Lili Fulda, Aenea Gaskins, Addisyn Heisey, Aleyna Heisey, Ann Jones, Ryan Levine, Maleeyah Mayo-Foulke, Alannah McCleerey, Samantha Regan and Danny Simigielski.
The adult ensemble includes Gary Adams, Alex Fulda, Mary Gaskins, Darcy Heisey, Savannah Lagana, Mitch Martin, Katie Pisocky, Courtney Petko, Elizabeth Reyez, Luis Vazquez and Mallori Wilkinson.
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