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closeKids corner: Encore! Theater to open showing of ‘Oliver’ on Friday
Play will run through Dec. 6 at Gig Harbor location
Hugh McMillan
Kids corner
On learning that Encore! Theatre was to produce one of my favorite musicals, “Oliver,” I contacted Kathleen McGilliard, the Encore! director, and arranged to attend the cast’s dress rehearsal Saturday morning.
Although I hate driving in the rain — and, lemme tell you, there was a surplus of it — the trip was well worth the effort.
The cast is a whole lot larger than I remembered. The costumes reminded me of the original “Oliver” or the squalor of London’s slums in the opening scenes of “My Fair Lady.”
And, considering the stage at Encore! is minuscule compared to those of New York or Hollywood, it’s stage setting is extremely well done. So much so, you feel it’s far larger than it is.
I’m normally put off by actor-contrived “accents.” Not so with Encore!’s thespians. You’ll swear your among Dickensian Londoners when you hear them.
But the best part is the enthusiasm of cast members who live on both the Key and Gig Harbor peninsulas, and even Tacoma, particularly the ubiquitous kids.
They “know” they are Fagan, or Oliver, or Dodger. They’re only pretending to be acting.
Based on the Dickens novel “Oliver Twist,” the show tells the tale of the pitiful orphan boy who is thrust into the unforgiving streets of London in the 1800s after he innocently asked for more gruel.
Through a series of misadventures that deal with a plethora of eccentric characters, including Mrs. Corney, Bumble the Beadle, the Sowerberrys, the Artful Dodger and the duplicitous Fagin, Oliver meets Mr. Brownlow and lives happily free of strife.
The show is appropriate for all ages with outstanding musical numbers such as “Food, Glorious Food,” “Where is Love,” “As Long As He Needs Me,” “Be Back Soon” and more. A winner of three Tony Awards, the show was written by Lionel Bart.
It opens Friday, and performances will be at 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 2 p.m. on Sundays through Dec. 6, with a special 2 p.m. matinee on Saturday, Dec. 5.
Tickets can be purchased at www.encoretheater.org or at the door 45 minutes prior to curtain time. Reservations are recommended. Call 253-858-2282.
“The crowd-pleaser will be performed at our newly outfitted Encore! theater space just in time for the holidays,” McGilliard said.
Attendees are encouraged to help those in need during the holidays; food and toy donations will be accepted. Encore! is located at 6615 38th Ave. NW in Gig Harbor.