OLIVER receives rave reviews courtesy of Upper Main Line YMCA

UMLY’s Oliver! Serves up Tasty Gruel Today in Berwyn
by Bob Byrne

The Upper Main Line Y in Berwyn is serving up a tasty theatrical treat this weekend that has gruel on the menu. “Oliver!,” the classic Lionel Bart broadway musical, is the latest dish from UMLY’s fantastic performing arts program.

“Oliver!” includes a cast (backed by a volunteer crew) of hundreds of people from all across the local community who are singing and dancing their way across the massive stage at the TE Middle School in Berwyn. Director Janelle Brandberg and a small army of volunteer parents deserve a standing ovation for wrangling an enormous and inclusive cast of performers from six to sixty (I don’t actually know the precise age range) into a fun evening that embodies everything I love about community theater.

UMLY’s program puts the ‘community’ in community theater. UMLY offers an opportunity to anyone who wants to be part of something bigger than one’s self while having fun and learning. Theater is very much a team sport, like the many athletic opportunities available at what is just about the coolest YMCA in the country. Actors, costumers, make-up artists, set-builders, ticket-sellers, you get the idea, all come together as a team and must learn to work together through a lot of intense practice/rehearsal. Mounting a production like this is every bit as rigorous and challenging as fielding an outstanding sports team. But the end result is often a lot more fun and there are no losing teams at the end of the run.

If you have never considered taking part in a community theater production or joining your kids in a fun endeavor that does not involve any screen time, I highly recommend giving community theater a try. Even if you can’t carry a tune in a bucket, you can probably carry something in a bucket that could be used in putting together the sets, costumes, or other support for a future production. While it’s great to stand on the sidelines and cheer on your soccer player every Saturday morning, taking part in community theater gives everyone in the family an opportunity to get in the game. UMLY will be staging the Disney musical “Newsies” in the fall and there’s plenty of time.

Back to “Oliver!” for a moment. The entire cast is remarkable and fun to watch. From the adorable youngest kids in the classic opening number “Food Glorious Food” all the way up to Fagin and the delightful macabre Sowerberrys (the funeral director and his wife who buy Oliver, take him in and spoil him by feeding him meat) there is a ton of comedic talent in this production. Declan MacDonald is a third grader from Devon making his UMLY debut in the title role. (Hope Harbeson will play Oliver in today’s 2pm matinee performance) is a delight to watch. Hugh Abbott brings his considerable comedic skills to Fagin, the crooked mentor to his gang of young pickpockets. Sue and Danny Scott are spot-on and hilarious as the Sowerbys, roles they last played in a Footlighters production of “Oliver!”

If you go: Performances are at 2pm and 7pm today, Saturday April 28. Thursday and Friday nights were nearly full houses (and it’s a big theater) so plan to arrive early to get a ticket and a good seat and parking. Parking was the one little fly in the ointment. With hundreds in the audience and a huge cast and crew, be ready to walk a little if you get there close to curtain time.

And a note to adults and parents in the audience: This is not a school play. It is open to the general public. It’s a great opportunity to introduce your kids to live theater and to the courtesies of being in an audience that is bigger than their school. Please turn off your cell phones! That includes taking pictures with your bright screen cell phone during the performance. Please do not let your 8 year old and ten of his friends all sit next to each other and chat throughout the show while crinkling candy and chip wrappers. I’m a parent and I get it. I don’t want to be all “Mr Bumble” here but this is also a great opportunity to demonstrate and enforce the basics of theater etiquette while treating kids to a fun outing. Enjoy!