OLIVER!!

So this year our Stake had a play again (they do it every other year). And this year it was Oliver. So of course I had to try out again because it was so much fun last time. Well, I did and I am glad I did. It is always so fun. Very time consuming, but worth it in the end. I was chosen to play Mrs. Sowerberry, the undertakers wife.

If you don't know the story line of Oliver Twist, here is a quick summary. In the Nineteenth Century, the orphan Oliver Twist is sent to a workhouse, where the children are barely fed and mistreated. He is sold to a house of an undertaker, after asking for more food at the workhouse. After he realizes he is very unwelcome he runs away to London. He arrives exhausted and starving, and is welcomed by a gang of pickpockets lead by the old crook Fagin. He meets Nancy, a young woman who started out pickpocketing for Fagin at a very young age. When Oliver is mistakenly taken as a thief, the wealthy victim Mr. Brownlow brings Oliver to his home and shelters him. But Fagin and the dangerous Bill Sykes decide to force Nancy to kidnap Oliver back worried that he will tell about them and their little group of pickpockets. Nancy goes to Mr. Brownlow and tries to help him get Oliver back, but Bill Sykes stops them. In the end, Oliver gets to go back with Mr. Brownlow, who ends up being his uncle.

So I played a very fun character. From the first time I enter the stage I am supposed to be feisty.....and rather rude at times to Oliver and my family. In my scenes, my husband Mr. Sowerberry and I are trying to decided if we want to take in this little orphan boy and we decide that he would fit the part and then we sing a song called, "That's Your Funeral."we laugh and act like we are so happy when people die because that is our way of earing a living. Then in the second scene, there is a fight between Oliver and Noah a boy who works for us. Then my daughter Charlotte and I come out and grab Oliver and throw him into a coffin. Then I get water thrown on me and then Oliver gets pulled out and is going to be taken back to the workhouse by Mr. Bumble and then Oliver pushes me into the coffin. Two very fun scenes. Here are some of my (and others in the play) favorite lines: "Henry really, it takes you twice as long to do anything as anyone else." "Bring up some of the cold bits we put out for the dog, it hasn't been in all day so it can go without 'em. I daresay the boy isn't too dainty to eat 'em, are ya boy?" "....you don't mind sleeping among coffins I suppose. But it doesn't matter much whether you do or you don't, 'cuz you can't sleep no where else." "Never in ALLL, MYYY, LIIIFFEE!!" "Well, and what if he did, you little ungrateful wretch. She probably deserved what was said and worse." Aren't those evil sounding......here are some of my favs while we sing from the song: "We're just here to glamorize you for that endless sleep. You might just as well look fetching when you're six feet deep." "We don't harbor thoughts macabre, there's no need to frown. In the end we'll either burn you up or nail you down. We love coughs and wheezes and diseases called incurable. That's your funeral, no one else's funeral, That's yoooouuuuur funeral!!" We are the funny, creepy couple.

I bet it is hard to picture me saying stuff like that but I did and it was soooo fun! I have a few pictures of me and Mr. Sowerberry and of course I got our coffin too. They even had to put makeup on me to make me look older. Just a fun experience. I have never done anything like this before. I did the Joseph Smith play with the stake two years ago but it was nothing like this. Oliver was a full blown play with lots of lines and choreography and music and scenes and props. Lots of work. My girls wanted to be in it too but they just didn't need anyone that young. Maybe next time. They loved watching the show. They both ran around playing on the stage when it was all over and I was showing them props and all the stuff behind the scenes....they were amazed and didn't want to go home. I had a blast and I recommend it to everyone.