Fagin and the Artful Dodger have been following poor Oliver Twist around ever since 1837, when Charles Dickens first set quill to paper. And once playwright Lionel Bart turned Dickens’ Victorian-era melodrama into the jolly musical Oliver! 120 years later, it’s been virtually impossible to find anyone who won’t sing, when prodded, “Consider yourself at home” or “You’ve got to pick a pocket or two” or some other indelible line from the evergreen British musical.
There’s a new production on the boards this week, from Largo-based Theatre eXceptional. Like last year’s The Wizard of Oz, the TheatreX rendition of Oliver! Includes a blended cast of actors and singers, and actors and singers with mental or physical disabilities.
The show, which also features a 12-piece orchestra, will be presented at the Central Park Performing Arts Center Sept. 15-17. The opening was originally scheduled for Sept. 8-11, but the threat of Hurricane Irma meant things had to be postponed.
“We do this because a lot of these people have talent,” offers managing director Michelle Larson. “They’re really good. And they’re passionate about performing, but can’t just walk into a regular audition and get cast, because of their disabilities. This is their outlet; this is their way to show the gifts that they have.”
Larson’s son, Tyler Crose, plays the undertaker who “employs” young Oliver (A.J. Rommel) early in the play. Tyler, who has Down’s syndrome, appeared as the Scarecrow in The Wizard of Oz.
“He was definitely the inspiration for the program, because he is someone who is talented and passionate, and didn’t really have an outlet,” Larson explains. “There was nothing that approached it from a professional level.”
She formed Theatre eXceptional with her daughter, the lauded local actress and playwright Brianna Larson, and actors Ryan Bernier and Johnny Garde (both of whom appear in Oliver!).
From Brianna’s introduction in the program for this show:
If I had to pick my favorite song from the musical Oliver!, (and it’s a tough choice) I would have to pick “I'd Do Anything.” It’s a fun and upbeat little song about how we would do anything for the person we love, for our friends, and for the people who take care of us. The words are really quite silly if you listen to them, but the sentiment is profound, and it truly speaks to what we do here at Theatre eXceptional.
“And that’s why we do it,” agrees her mother. “There wasn’t anything for them. We have a live orchestra, we have professional costume designers, professional set designers … it’s high-level.”
It’s also character-building, esteem-building and stigma-reducing for the developmentally challenged members of the company. And a great experience for the others, who work as mentors, coaches — and cheerleaders.
“Everybody involved is passionate about doing theater, and feels so lucky and so blessed to be a part of it,” Michelle Larson says.
The audience gets to witness something both inspirational and fun.
Linnea Paolillo has a small role in the show with her son Gregory, who was in TheatreX's 2016 production. “I have a very good friend who is very much a curmudgeon,” she says. “He loves playing the old, cranky Jew. Before we did The Wizard of Oz last year, he said to his wife ‘Oh, OK, I’ll go — but I don’t know how long I’m gonna last.’ That type of thing. At the end, he looks at me and says ‘Linnea, I cried. This should go national.’ And that’s from, a cranky, hair-on-his-heart kind of guy."
Bill DeYoung was born in St. Pete and spent the first 22 years of his life here. After a long time as an arts and entertainment journalist at newspapers around Florida (plus one in Savannah, Ga.) he returned to his hometown in 2014. He is the author of Skyway: The True Story of Tampa Bay’s Signature Bridge and the Man Who Brought it Down and the forthcoming Phil Gernhard, Record Man. Learn more here.
