Production 2019: Oliver!

December 5-December 7 / Colombo, Sri Lanka

OSC’s 2019 Production of Oliver! was a project I am very glad to have been a part of. I took on one of my biggest and most challenging roles and had to work very hard to portray him correctly, even with the help and support I received from my teachers, directors and peers (mad respect, by the way). There was a lot of time and effort put into this play: full-day rehearsals, long hours after school, putting together our own costumes and working with a very different set (which was also very complex and time-consuming to build, so props), but it was an experience I am proud to have, and all of the hard work definitely paid off in the end.

For those who are unaware, Oliver! is a musical in which the titular character Oliver Twist is sold to a family by his Orphanage owner and his wife, before running away to London. He then falls in with a gang of child thieves led by Fagin, a fence for my character Bill Sikes, the most notorious thief in London. Oliver eventually steals from someone and is caught, but the man he stole from takes pity and welcomes him into his home. Sikes and his crew try to kidnap Oliver but fail, and he is mobbed and hung from the neck (f in chat).

Initially, I auditioned for the role of Fagin. We were meant to choose one characters lines and song from a brief list of them, then memorize it and audition when school started after the break. I spent hours watching the film, practising lines in Fagin’s voice and listening to his song, Pick a Pocket on repeat. I finally auditioned and became really nervous, screwing up the song and acting much too fierce to play Fagin. I thought that I had no chance of making it, but was pleasantly surprised to find I got the role of the lead villain Bill Sikes.

It was decided that my character would be a lot darker and more serious than the original. This was one of the few instances when we strayed from the source material, but I think it was worth it. We removed all of his songs and ensured he wouldn’t appear in any of the group musical numbers, as they were usually happy and upbeat, which he wasn’t. Another example was my first scene, when I wear a helmet, giving the stolen goods to Fagin. Originally there was no helmet and I had lines, but the helmet was added to create a sense of mystery and an undertone of fear from it.

Opening night was a mess. I was backstage fifteen minutes before the start, crying black tears while people called me Billie Eilish, a result of being poked in the eye while being applied eyeliner to. I washed my face, but it was waterproof so I ended up looking like a crazy insomniac. I also remember the breath fogging up the helmet so that I couldn’t see anything when confronting Seth in my first scene. I had to rely on muscle memory and where I remembered the exits to be from rehearsal. Aside from this and the expected (but still unwelcome) panic that comes before acting in front of an audience, I think I did okay.

An article was written about the production shortly after and it included a brief paragraph on my performance so now I’m famous.

I am very glad to have been part of the Senior production. It was definitely one of the highlights of my DP career and I cannot wait for the next production. I am glad I got to participate in a musical as well. While I did not sing, I still participated in some of the song and dance practices, a result of scheduling mistakes, forcing me to learn the dances once I came because I wasn’t at the first recital. It was nice to play the villain and to explore that side of the story. Despite the long hours and having to go over and over the same thing, it was fun. It was something I cherish and hope to be part of again.