Oliver!

The first time I was involved with Oliver! I started out by making papier mache bowls to look like wooden ones to be used in the workhouse. They took a long time to do because they had to be robust enough to last through being banged and thrown about so needed to be many layers baked hard and then painted and varnished. My kitchen smelled of baking for weeks, although my oven was filled not with meals but with pyrex bowls covered in  glued newspaper. A feat not to be repeated until I had the joy of creating Tracy Island from old newspaper as per Blue Peter instructions.
I also learned all the children's parts and songs because I was chaperoning at rehearsals, and can still quote Dodger's lines at the drop of a battered top hat! We were fortunate to have quite a lot of boys interested in taking part, many of whom were part of family groups that belonged to our society, so there were lots of parents on hand to help.
One of the advantages of Oliver! for any company is that children on stage always make it easier to sell tickets, as extended families come along to see their prodigies acting their socks off, when at other times they wouldn't think of setting foot in a theatre. It can bring in young actors who will become the backbone of the society's future. It is also great fun for all the participants, with some rousing songs - Oom,Pah,Pah, and Consider Yourself; some heartrending ones ; Where is Love and As Long As He Needs Me; and some funny ones: I'd Do Anything and Gotta Pick A Pocket or Two; to name but a few, along with high drama and some really well drawn characters.
About whom..... more next week.