Oliver!

Chagrin Valley Little Theatre continues its holiday tradition of a big, family-friendly musical with Lionel Bart's OLIVER! which runs November 14 - December 14 on CVLT's Main Stage. Charles Dickens' classic tale will be brought to the stage by the same team which has driven the past three years' holiday blockbusters at CVLT: director Michael Rogan, musical director John Krol, and choreographers Jen Justice and Pamela LaForce.

Although Dickens' story of an orphan who is sold to an undertaker and then falls in with a gang of pickpockets might not seem easily adapted to the musical theater, Lionel Bart's wonderful adaptation ran for twelve years in London after its 1960 premiere, and holds the record as the longest-running British musical presented in New York. Featuring the songs "Food, Glorious Food", "As Long As He Needs Me" and "Consider Yourself", OLIVER! was the first London stage musical to be transplanted to Broadway with the same kind of sensation it received in Britain. CVLT's own 1974 and 1989 productions were resounding successes.

The cast of fifty includes many local families, including the Apanasewicz family from Euclid, the Edwards and Firehammer families of Chagrin Falls, the Moughan and Sullivan families from Solon, the Sloop family of Mentor, the Mulvaney family of Aurora, and the Benedict family of Novelty. At the fore are twelve-year-old vocalist Eugene Gurary in the title role, and Ryan Kacmar as "The Artful Dodger." Claire Mulvaney appears as "Nancy," the good-natured woman who befriends Oliver, with Ron Davis as her abusive boyfriend "Bill Sykes" and Elyse Mulvaney as her friend "Bet." The orphans' criminal mentor, "Fagin," is played by CVLT veteran Eric Oswald. Paul Sloop and J.B. Miller appear as the undertakers, and Brian Diehl and Amanda Litherland as the orphanage taskmasters.

Performances of OLIVER! are at 8:00 PM on Fridays and Saturdays November 14 - December 13. Sunday matinees will be held on 11/23, 11/30, and 12/14 at 2 PM. Tickets are $20, with a $4 discount for students and seniors. Tickets for the November 30th matinee are available exclusively through Friends of WomenSafe, a 501(c)3 non-profit with the sole mission of generating unrestricted funds for WomenSafe. If you wish to attend the 11/20 matinee, we encourage you to call (440) 285-3741 for tickets. Tickets for all other performances be purchased from the box office by phone at (440) 247-8955 or via the CVLT website at www.CVLT.org. Chagrin Valley Little Theatre is located at 40 River Street in the Theatre District of downtown Chagrin Falls.

CVLT is generously funded by Cuyahoga County residents through Cuyahoga Arts and Culture and supported by the Ohio Arts Council. CVLT is a proud member of the American Association of Community Theatre.