Local Kids, Broadway Stars to Take the Stage in Pioneer Theatre Company's OLIVER!

Pioneer Theatre Company presents Oliver!, the award-winning musical by Lionel Bart inspired by the orphan's tale, Oliver Twist, written by Charles Dickens. Oliver! runs December 2 to December 17, 2016.

Charles Dickens' tale of the plucky orphan has been turned into a rousing musical featuring one of the most memorable Broadway scores ever written, including "Food, Glorious Food," "Where Is Love?," "Consider Yourself," "You've Got To Pick A Pocket or Two," "Who Will Buy," and more.

Oliver! was the first musical adaptation of Dickens' to become a stage hit. Oliver! debuted on Broadway in 1963, winning the Tony Award for Best Musical Score and has enjoyed several revivals over the years. It was turned into a movie in 1968, winning the Academy Award for Best Picture.

The professional Equity cast of 14 is joined by local cast members, including 13 child actors.

Bill Nolte plays Fagin, the career criminal who lures in homeless orphans and educates them in the fine art of picking pockets. Nolte is a veteran who has been seen on Broadway in The Producers, Amour, Jane Eyre, 1776 (revival), King David, A Christmas Carol, Me and My Girl, Joseph...Dreamcoat (revival), The Secret Garden, La Cage Aux Folles (revival) and Cats.

PTC alums Howard Kaye and Natalie Hill play the brutal Bill Sykes and his soft-hearted girlfriend Nancy. Kaye returns to PTC after It Happened One Christmas, The Music Man and Peter and the Starcatcher. He toured with the Broadway production of Mamma Mia! and also appeared on Broadway in Miss Saigon. Hill was last seen at PTC in Sweet Charity, In the Heights and in Miss Saigon. A Utah native, she received her degree in music from NYU, and stayed in New York City, appearing on Broadway in Frank Wildhorn's Wonderland, Bye Bye Birdie and Grease.

MAXWELL RIMINGTON and CHRISTIAN LABERTEW play the title role of Oliver Twist, the lonely orphan boy and The Artful Dodger, the most clever of Fagin's pickpockets. Rimington makes his PTCdebut, but has recent local credits in Mary Poppins and Seussical. Labertew, a senior at Park City High School, returns to PTC after A Christmas Carol-The Musical.

Broadway veterans Kevin Ligon and Linda Griffin both debut at PTC playing Mr. Bumble and Mrs. Corney, whom he later marries.

Ligon has appeared in the Broadway productions of On The Twentieth Century, Bullets Over Broadway, The Phantom Of The Opera, Sister Act, Finian's Rainbow, Young Frankenstein, The Producers, Kiss Me Kate, 1776 and The Secret Garden. In addition to a career in film and TV, Ligon will be in the highly-anticipated Broadway revival this spring of Hello, Dolly! starring Bette Midler. Griffin was an original cast member of Broadway shows Something Rotten! and The Drowsy Chaperone and can be heard on both Grammy nominated cast albums. She was featured in the Broadway tours of Wicked, A Chorus Line, 42nd Street and Disney's Beauty and the Beast.

JAMES Michael Reilly and Carol Schuberg play Mr. and Mrs. Sowerberry, the often cruel couple who take Oliver in their home to employ him in their business. Reilly has been seen at regional theatres across the U.S., including Geva, Denver Center, and the Alabama Shakespeare Festival. This is his PTC debut. Schuberg returns to PTC after appearing in Sweet Charity, Fiddler on the Roof and How to Succeed in Business.... She has also performed on Broadway in Meet Me in St. Louis.

Oliver's kind and wealthy grandfather, MR. Brownlow, and the role of Mrs. Bedwin are played by local Utah Equity actors Richard Scott and COLLEEN BAUM, respectively.

Jessica Blair, KYLE BRAND, Lenny Daniel, STEPHANIE MALONEY, MYLES MC HALE and Adam Pellegrine comprise the remaining Equity cast members.

Alexis Baigue, MICHELLE BLAKE, BAILEY CUMMINGS, Tamari Dunbar, LUKE Sidney Johnson, MANDY MC DONELL, John Peterson and TORI SICKLICK complete the ensemble.

Local young actor ABIGAIL HIGBEE plays the role of Bet, Nancy's young friend. NATALIA BINGHAM, AFTON GRACE HIGBEE, AVA HOEKSTRA, MILO MOZAFFARI, JT O'REILLY, MASON SHANKS, BRANDon Smith, DIXON TRUMBO, MASON TRUMBO and BRANDON WELKER comprise the rest of young people in the cast.

Pioneer Theatre Company Artistic Director Karen Azenberg directs and choreographs this production. Azenberg is in her fifth year as Artistic Director and directed the regional premiere of Sting's The Last Ship to open the 2016-2017 season. Last season, she directed Fiddler on the Roof, The Rocky Horror Show and It Happened One Christmas. Originally from New York, Azenberg's work there includes Lyrics and Lyricists (92nd St. Y), Blocks (a collaboration with Jonathan Larson), Prom Queens Unchained, and choreography for Richard Greenberg's The Dazzle (Roundabout).

Tom Griffin returns to PTC as the guest Musical Director after recent productions It Happened One Christmas, Peter & The Starcatcher, Elf-The Musical and A Christmas Carol: The Musical. He also musically directed the West Coast and Los Angeles premieres of The Last Five Years, Sweet Charity, Sweeney Todd and The Music Man; the West Coast premiere of Spitfire Grill; Annie, West Side Story, The Scarlet Pimpernel and Bye Bye Birdie.

Scenic design is by George Maxwell. He has been the resident scenic designer at Pioneer Theatre Company for over 25 years and has designed over 90 productions for the company. Last season he designed Fiddler on the Roof and It Happened One Christmas.

Resident Costume Designer K.L. ALBERTS marks his 29th year at PTC, and has designed a wide range of shows, including Of Mice and Men, both Les Misèrables, The Producers, Elf-The Musical and The Music Man. Alberts has also costumed casts for the Utah Shakespeare Festival.

Lighting design is by Kirk Bookman. Bookman's New York credits include Charles Busch's The Tribute Artist, and The Divine Sister. He most recently designed for The Glass Menagerie andFiddler on the Roof.

Hair and makeup design is by PTC resident designer AMANDA FRENCH; sound design is by PTCresident designer JOSHUA C. HIGHT. CHRISTOPHER DU VAL is Resident Fight Choreographer. SARAH SHIPPPBOTHAM is the Dialect Coach.

IF YOU GO:

Pioneer Theatre Company

Oliver!

Music, Book and Lyrics By Lionel Bart

Decmber 2 - December 17, 2016

New Curtain Times 2016-2017 Season:

Mondays - Thursdays, 7:00 p.m.

Fridays and Saturdays, 7:30 p.m.

Saturday matinees, 2:00 p.m.

At Simmons Pioneer Memorial Theatre,

300 South 1400 East, Salt Lake City

Prices: $40 - $62 in advance, and $5 more when purchased on the day of the show

Kids in grades K-12 are half-price on Mondays and Tuesdays

For more information, call the Box Office: 801-581-6961 (open 10:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m., Mon - Fri) or visit www.pioneertheatre.org.

To post a comment, you must register and login.