The final touches are being put to the classic musical Oliver! which is set to stage at DUT soon.
The University is putting on the mammoth production which has a cast numbering 55, including 12 children who really impressed director Dr Pamela Tancsik, a Lecturer in the Drama Studies Department at DUT.
Tancsik said during the Department’s two sets of auditions held in December 2014 and January 2015, they were surprised at how “clued up” this lot were as far as the musical is concerned. “One of our 9-year-olds can even read music. They’ve all been doing well; it’s been lots of fun.”
Based on the classic Charles Dickens novel, which was later turned into a play and film, the musical stages at DUT’s Courtyard Theatre from March 22 to 28 2015.
Oliver! tells the rags-to-riches story of young Oliver Twist and a host of vibrant characters. With popular songs like Food Glorious Food, Oliver!, Consider Yourself, You’ve Got to Pick a Pocket and more, the show is highly anticipated.
Tancsik said the show’s designer, Peter Court, opted to set the musical in Durban and in a contemporary style. “So there is no London or Victorian costumes and set designs. “Usually you would have the whole London or Victorian market scene, but we will have fruit and wares vendors – similar to what you would see around the Durban central and Warwick junction areas. People will be reminded of the everyday realities that we see when we drive along Durban streets.”
Although Dickens’s novel was penned in 1838, Tancsik said the heart of this tale is still relevant today. “Unfortunately, hardly anything has changed. We still deal with huge poverty levels, human trafficking, abuse against children and woman, violence, alcoholism. All those issues are still very relevant in South Africa today and that, for me, was also a great reason to do the musical in a contemporary style and set it in Durban.”
And while the audience sits to enjoy this classic, there is a desire that they leave the theatre a little more than entertained. “Probably, people will think a little bit more about our reality and what could be done about it. It (poverty) is a problem which we need to look into. I hope that through the production people will also be a bit more sensitive and thoughtful towards these issues,” added Tancsik.
With musical director Madlen Tzankova and choreography by Mdu Mtshali, you can expect to catch up with favourite characters like Twist; his coconspirator, the artful Dodger; the patriarch of the gang, Fagin; the sweet and caring Nancy and the evil Bill Sykes – only you’ll get see all the shenanigans Durban-style.
The production will take place in newly-refurbished Courtyard Theatre, DUT, Steve Biko Road, and is family-friendly. Oliver! will be staged from March 22 to 28 2015, with the last performance on the 28th at 3pm. Tickets cost R50 for adults and R25 for children.
For more information, call the DUT Drama Studies Department on (031) 373 2194 or e-mail: lebohangs@dut.ac.za.
Pictured: A scene from Oliver!. Twelve of Durban’s finest child performers were cast as orphans and in support roles for the musical.
* This edited article appeared in the Daily News Tonight edition.
