Something new has been heard in the halls of Our Lady Seat of Wisdom Academy over these past few weeks: show tunes.  The Academy’s Don Bosco Drama Club, which has performed an impressive list of productions since it was formed in 2003, presented its first musical, the Tony Award-winning hit Oliver! last weekend.  It featured musical classics such as "Food, Glorious Food," "Where is Love?" "Consider Yourself," “Who Will Buy?” and "As Long As He Needs Me." Lionel Bart’s ever-popular Oliver! has become one of the most popular and longest running musicals of all time. The musical continued its popularity in the auditorium of Madawaska Valley District High School as the Don Bosco Drama Club gave three gripping performances of Oliver! to a delighted audience.

Oliver! is based on Charles Dickens’ moving tale of Oliver Twist, an orphan boy who escapes rough workhouse conditions only to end up in the company of pick-pockets.   When Oliver has a chance to live a good life, love and hate battle as Bill Sykes and his girlfriend, Nancy, have conflicting plans for the young boy. Dickens’ characters are always larger-than-life, including the delightfully dubious pick-pocket ringleader Fagin. Composer Lionel Bart completely captures Dickens’ creations in this most memorable musical. 

Directors Maria Henry and Theresa Merrick, along with talented local musician Schroeder Nordholt, led this cast of forty-two—the biggest in the drama club’s history—that includes seventeen-year-old Marissa Hamon of Combermere in the title role of Oliver. It was a memorable time for all the cast, who were thrilled to be a part of this immense production.

As Kathleen Dunn (Nancy) said: “Being a part of Oliver was definitely a major highlight of my year. Witnessing the immense amount of talent our small school brought forward was astounding. I was able to develop deeper friendships with my peers through weekly practices, battling nerves, learning lines and choreography. Putting on a musical seemed like a huge undertaking at the beginning of the year, but it turned out to be a major success, and I am so blessed to have been a part of it!”  

Alexander McCune (Bill Sykes) also adds: "Oliver! was a fantastic production! The show really tells a beautiful story, and everyone contributed greatly to make it happen. We had a blast and did a great job."

Two first-year OLSWA students, Rheanne Millette and Shelby Glofcheskie, who watched the performance responded by saying that “the musical contained a wide range of talent, with singing, dancing, marvellous acting and eye-catching special effects. The show proved to be very successful, judging by the enthusiastic response from the audience, and it certainly left everyone saying, ‘Please, we want some more.’”