Cochrane High School's drama class finished off their production season with the showing of Oliver! the Musical from May 10 to 13. Cochrane High drama teacher Dustin Whetton said he was very pleased with how the production went and said the audience grew as the days went along. "I think all four days went extremely well. Our kids are quite passionate about what they do and they approach each play with a matter of professionalism. As far as audience goes, the first day was a little bit slow and we only sold out about 60 to 70 per cent of our house," Whetton said. "But, I think as the show progressed and people caught word of it, the audience started to grow. The second night we were at 95 per cent of our capacity and by Friday night we were at 99 per cent ... overall, I think the show went great. The progression of the show and excitement of the show going throughout Cochrane was growing as the nights went on and I think our kids handled that extremely well with the added pressure." Whetton also mentioned he received a lot of positive feedback from those who attended the production. "We also got a lot of good comments from professionals that I invited from the theatre community as well. Some of them worked with the students throughout the process and a lot of them spoke about how committed those students were," Whetton said proudly. "You can really see the students on stage and you can tell that they gave it everything they've got. That's what makes the work so special is that when they go on stage, they give it everything and leave it all on stage. Anyone who came to watch, they were quite impressed by the student's ability to really take on the characters, make them believable and beautiful and be able to maintain a focus throughout the production ... it really enhances the production when you do that. That's a lot of the feedback I received was how the students were able to take on such challenging characters." The Cochrane High drama teacher said there were a few standout performances throughout the weekend, but said the cast and crew as a whole were also very strong. "I do think that we have a really strong group. There are a couple students that really deserve shout outs and it's not that they're anymore talented than the other students, they were just presented the opportunities to stand out a little bit more," Whetton said. "A student by the name of Michael Fyfe, he had a role of playing Fagin and Fagin is quite a challenging role to pursue ... he was able to do it with such a grace and honesty that stood out to a lot of people." "Then we had a group of Grade 9 students who typically don't get the light to shine in right off the bat but we got a lot of praise for our ensemble Grade 9 students, who were really able to understand their characters and create this energy on stage where people where aware, intrigued and interested in them, but not to the point where they took away from the other characters. It was something I thought they did extremely well." The Cochrane High drama group will now take the rest of the year off to recharge the batteries before returning in the fall with a play yet to be determined. Oliver! is an English musical, with music and lyrics done by Lionel Bart. The musical is based upon the novel Oliver Twist written by Charles Dickens. Oliver! takes the audience on a wild adventure through Victorian England as a young, orphaned Oliver Twist navigates the London’s underworld of theft and violence, searching for a home, a family, and - most importantly - for love. When Oliver is picked up on the street by a boy named the Artful Dodger, he is welcomed into a gang of child pickpockets led by the conniving, but charismatic, Fagin. When Oliver is falsely accused of a theft he didn’t commit, he is rescued by a kind and wealthy gentleman, to the dismay of Fagin’s violent sidekick, Bill Sykes. Caught in the middle is the warm-hearted Nancy, who is trapped under Bill’s thumb, but desperate to help Oliver, with tragic results. With spirited, timeless songs like “As Long as He Needs Me,” “Food, Glorious Food,” and “Where is Love,” Oliver! is a musical classic. The play originally premiered in the West End of England in 1960 and enjoyed long and successful runs on Broadway, tours and revivals after being brought to the United States by producer David Merrick in 1963. Major London revivals played from the 1970s until 2011 and was also on tour in the United Kingdom from 2011-13.
