OLIVER! Opens At The Benedum Starring Mark Indelicato 6/1-6

Revisit one of the most-acclaimed musical productions of all time when Pittsburgh CLO kicks off the 64th Summer Season with its production of Oliver!, June 1-6 at the Benedum Center in the heart of downtown Pittsburgh's Cultural District.

The beloved musical brings Charles Dickens' touching tale of young orphan Oliver Twist to life! Hungry, homeless and befriended by pickpockets, Oliver searches the crowded streets for the road to true happiness. Can he escape from the clutches of the crime ring and find a loving home? Oliver!'s Tony® Award-winning score boasts the musical theater classics "Food, Glorious Food," "I'd Do Anything," Where is Love?," "Consider Yourself," "As Long As He Needs Me," "Who Will Buy?" and "Reviewing the Situation."

ABOUT THE CAST

Mark Indelicato (The Artful Dodger) is making his Pittsburgh CLO debut. He is best known for his role as Justin in ABC's "Ugly Betty," which just ended its four-year series run on April 14. The 15-year-old Philadelphia native began his career in several productions at the city's Walnut Street Theatre.

Patrick Page (Fagin) makes his Pittsburgh CLO debut. He appeared on Broadway in The Lion King, Disney's Beauty and the Beast, Julius Caesar, A Christmas Carol and The Kentucky Cycle. He is the recipient of Helen Hayes Award, The Princess Grace Award in Theatre, Chicago's Joseph Jefferson Award and the Utah Governor's Medal for the Arts.

Kate Shindle (Nancy) will make her Pittsburgh CLO debut as Nancy. Her Broadway credits include starring roles in Legally Blonde the Musical, Cabaret and Jekyll & Hyde. She is also the winner of the 1998 Miss America pageant.

John Treacy Egan (Mr. Bumble) makes his Pittsburgh CLO debut. He appeared on Broadway in the 2009 revival of Bye Bye Birdie, The Little Mermaid, the original Broadway production of The Producers and Jekyll & Hyde. His television credits include "30 Rock," "Cupid," "Law & Order" and "As the World Turns."

Jeff Howell (Mr. Brownlow) is a veteran of numerous Pittsburgh CLO productions, including Beauty and the Beast, Bells Are Ringing, Chess, Singin' In the Rain and The Most Happy Fella, as well as A Musical Christmas Carol. He was recently seen in Candide for Quantum Theatre and performed in the spring of 2009 with Marvin Hamlisch and the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra in a concert version of Show Boat.

Robin Lounsbury (Widow Corney) is making her Pittsburgh CLO debut. Her regional credits include She Loves Me, Guys & Dolls, Beauty and the Beast, My Fair Lady and Singin' in the Rain.

Gene Seraceni (Dr. Grimwig) is a veteran of 23 Pittsburgh CLO productions, including Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat in 2009 and West Side Story in 2008. He has performed locally for Pittsburgh Irish and Classical Theatre and City Theatre. He toured North America in Shakespearean repertory and is Professor Emeritus of Theatre after a 37-year academic career at Seton Hill University.

Joseph Serafini (Oliver) is a sixth grader at Neil Armstrong Middle School in Bethel Park and a fifth year student at the Pittsburgh CLO Academy. He has appeared in seven Pittsburgh CLO productions, including A Musical Christmas Carol from 2005 through 2009 (Tiny Tim and Turkey Boy), the 2009 Summer Season production of Les Misérables (Gavroche) and the 2008 Summer Season production of Peter Pan (Michael Darling). Joseph also has performed in The Pittsburgh Symphony Pops production of Shirley Jones, Marvin & The Music Man alongside Shirley Jones and Marvin Hamlisch. He reprised his role in the National Symphony Orchestra Pops 2009 production of The Music of The Music Man conducted by Marvin Hamlisch in Washington, D.C.

Christian Whelan (Bill Sykes) is making his Pittsburgh CLO debut. His numerous National Tour credits include Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Aida, Ragtime, Little House on the Prairie and Camelot. He has appeared in film and television productions such as "Celebrity," "Tomcats," "Outlaws," "All My Children," "Guiding Light," "The Young and the Restless," and "Baywatch."

In addition to Joseph Serafini, this production of Oliver! also features 32 current students at Pittsburgh CLO Academy in various roles.

ABOUT THE PRODUCTION STAFF

Richard Stafford (Director and Choreographer) returns to Pittsburgh CLO after directing and choreographing Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat in 2009 and Cats in 2007, as well as choreographing productions of Mame, Grand Hotel, Phantom of the Opera, Camelot and On the Town. He is directing the current National Tour of Cats. Mr. Stafford's Broadway credits include choreographing In My Life at Music Box Theatre, serving as associate choreographer for Aspects of Love at Broadhurst Theatre and as the dance supervisor for Cats at Winter Garden Theatre. He also directed and choreographed international productions of The Full Monty and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat in Mexico City. Mr. Stafford won the Barrymore Award for outstanding choreography for La Cage Aux Folles at Walnut Street Theatre.

Craig Barna (Music Director) has conducted on Broadway, in Los Angeles and for prominent regional theaters across the country. Oliver! will mark his 12th production as music director for Pittsburgh CLO. Mr. Barna was last seen at Pittsburgh CLO in 2009 as the music director for Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and Swing! after serving as music director for Peter Pan and Smokey Joe's Café in 2008. He conducted the National Tours of Grease, Singin' in the Rain and Cats, and touring and Broadway companies of Jesus Christ Superstar and Peter Pan. His other career highlights include TV appearances on the "Today Show," "CBS This Morning" and the 1999 Tony® Awards.

John McClain (Lighting Designer) Mr. McClain's credits include national and international productions of musicals, ballet and opera. He has spent more than 20 years designing nearly 75 productions for Pittsburgh CLO. Mr. McClain has also designed for Ice Capades, Radio City Music Hall, The Lido in Paris and Jubilee for the MGM Grand in Las Vegas and Reno. He has represented every major regional theater and opera company in the United States. In the summers, Mr. McClain divides time between Pittsburgh CLO, Theater of the Stars in Atlanta and the Dallas Summer Musicals. He has designed productions of Porgy and Bess across the globe and his national and regional credits include Rugrats, Camelot, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, The King and I, The Sound of Music and Bombay Dreams.

HISTORY OF THE SHOW

Featuring music and lyrics by Lionel Bart, Oliver! is based on the novel "Oliver Twist" by Charles Dickens. It premiered in London's West End in 1960 before moving to Broadway in 1963. It was adapted into a critically-acclaimed musical film in 1968, winning six Academy Awards, including Best Picture. It has enjoyed multiple London revivals, touring productions and stagings for more than half a century.

The original London production of Oliver! opened in the New Theatre (now the Noel Coward Theatre) on June 30, 1960, and ran for 2,618 performances. A West End revival during the late 1970s ran for more than two years. This would be Cameron Mackintosh's first revival of Oliver! and was faithful to the 1960 original.

The musical previewed in the United States with a 1962 National Tour before the first Broadway production opened at the Imperial Theatre on January 6, 1963. It closed on November 14, 1964, after 774 performances. A critical success, the production was nominated for 10 Tony® Awards, winning for Scenic Design, Musical Direction and Best Score.

In 1984, there was a short-lived Broadway revival at The Mark Hellinger Theater that lasted less than a month. Ron Moody was nominated for a Tony® Award for his performance as Fagin, despite the limited run.

In 1994, Oliver! was revived for the London Palladium with additional music and lyrics by Bart. It was directed by Academy Award-winning director Sam Mendes and featured Jonathan Pryce as Fagin. This production featured a brand new prologue and incorporated much of the dialogue from both the original 1968 film and Dickens' novel.

A new Cameron Mackintosh production that was heavily based upon the 1994 London Palladium revival opened in London's West End on January 14, 2009. It was an immediate critical and commercial success that continues its run today.

ABOUT THE ORIGINAL CREATIVE TEAM

Lionel Bart (Book, Music, Lyrics) began writing pop songs in mid-1950s England but soon started composing musicals for Joan Littlewood's Theatre Workshop at Stratford East. One of his earliest efforts, 1958's Wally Pone, King of the Underworld, established Mr. Bart's precedent for referencing literary sources for his musicals. Mr. Bart reached his peak in 1960, at age 30, with Oliver! His later efforts included 1962's Blitz!, set during the London blitzkrieg, and the Robin Hood spoof Twang!! in 1965. Mr. Bart also wrote the theme song for the James Bond film "From Russia with Love" in 1963. His only notable subsequent musical was 1969's La Strada, based on the Fellini film. It closed after one night on Broadway. Mr. Bart did enjoy success later in life with "Happy Endings," a 1989 advertising jingle that helped spur revivals of some of his earlier works. He died in 1999.

TICKETS FOR OLIVER!

Tickets for Oliver! start at just $20.50 and are available online at pittsburghCLO.org, by calling 412-456-6666 or at the Box Office at Theater Square. Groups of 10 or more may call 412-325-1582. Half-price tickets sponsored by Giant Eagle are available for children ages 3-14 in price levels E and F, including the 8 p.m. showings on June 1 and June 2 and the 1 p.m. matinee on June 3.

PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE FOR OLIVER!

June 1 Tuesday 8pm
June 2 Wednesday 8pm
June 3 Thursday 1pm & 8pm
June 4 Friday 8pm
June 5 Saturday 2pm & 8pm
June 6 Sunday 2 pm

Pittsburgh CLO gratefully acknowledges the generosity of our Season Sponsors: American Airlines, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and WTAE-TV, as well as Giant Eagle for its sponsorship of select half-price children's tickets for Oliver!, PNC for its sponsorship of Miss Saigon, The Producers and Hairspray in the PNC Spotlight Series, BNY Mellon for its sponsorship of Curtains and American Airlines for its sponsorship of The Student Prince.

Photo Credit: BWW-Staff