Oliver!

Wow!  Who knew a bunch of 2nd to 5th graders could pull off such a performance!  The annual school drama production of Oliver Twist went off without a hitch last night.  The Dickens novel was adapted for the younger set to be an hour-long musical.  The score was also adapted a bit more so that most of singing was the whole chorus with only a few (if any?) solos. O spent 2 months with a voice coach anyway, just in case and also to help with the simple problem of getting yourself HEARD while you are on stage.

The full novel has a storyline which is incredibly complicated and has a massive number of characters -- it's a great read but would be massively long play.  The school was able to bring in our new drama and performing arts teacher to help out.  Although he doesn't officially start until NEXT school year, it was nice to have a preview of some of the changes in store in terms of what the school is hoping to offer these rising stars.  Great job, kids!

Pictured here is O as Oliver with Jack Dawkins, aka, the Artful Dodger.