Hershey Area Playhouse's OLIVER! Begins 7/16

Bringing to life the story of an orphan boy who asked for more, Hershey Area Playhouse is proud to present its summer musical, Oliver!, about a little boy searching for a loving home in the rough and tumble world of Victorian London.

Based on the Charles Dickens' novel, Oliver Twist, the musical Oliver! follows the adventures of this young boy as he journeys from the orphanage to the streets, encountering a variety of characters from every class of 19th century London along the way.

"When I direct a show, I always start by asking myself what the audiences will take away," said Oliver! director Cory Wilkerson. "For this show the answer is easy - not only will the audience be humming the songs long after the final bows, but they will be captivated by the poignancy of the story. It reaches out and grabs you and asks you to really think about "where is love" and finally to 'consider yourself one of us!'"

Bringing to life Dickens' timeless characters, Oliver! cast members include: Matthew Peterson as Oliver Twist; Mark Cuddy as Fagin; Sandy McInerney as the Artful Dodger; Erin Kelly as Nancy; Nate Williams as Bill Sykes; Ira Rappaport as Mr. Brownlow; Anthony Ariano as Mr. Bumble; Colleen Mullikin as Widow Corney; John Mallonee as Mr. Sowerberry; Ann Ariano as Mrs. Sowerberry; Zoey Bright as Bet; Claire Leedy as Charlotte; Sean Varner as Noah Claypole; Max Heitmann as Charlie Bates; Laurie Petersen as Old Sally; Josh Rappaport as Dr. Grimwig; and Patti Uhrich as Mrs. Bedwin.

Additional cast members include: Rob Allison; Nicoletta Ariano; Acadia Banis; Kyla Blazer; Abigail Bridgeman; Dylan Byrd; Caitlin Chavis; Larissa Curcio; Cameron Ebright; Jojo Gurian; Libby Hardesty; Kacy Hartmann; Allison Hoke; Ada Howard; Renee Howard; Philip Jurus; Samantha Koegler; Brandon Laventure; John Leedy; Wendy Lubell; Grace Miller; Jeff Miller; Tori Moss; Jacob Pegher; Jude Petersen; Jacob Porter; Deborah Santiago; Brennan Shiffler; Carson Smith; Fletcher Smith; Levi Snyder; and Edward Varner.

"There's a reason why the title of the play is Oliver with an exclamation point," said Wilkerson. "It is a high energy show with lots of great music and dance numbers, cute kids, memorable characters and a message of joy."

In addition to Wilkerson, the production staff members for Oliver! include: David Deitz as vocal director; Keith Wiley as music director; Kelly Strange as choreographer; Jen Feldser as stage manager and producers Matt and Tracey Ford, with costuming by Drenda Cordeiro.

Experience the timeless literary story of Oliver!, running July 16-19 and July 23-26, 2015. Thursday through Saturday performances begin at 7:30 p.m.; Sunday performances begin at 2 p.m.

Tickets are $23 for teens/adults and $20 for kids ages 12 and under. Tickets are available by visiting www.HersheyAreaPlayhouse.com or by calling the Playhouse's box office at 717-533-8525.