Oliver!
at Springfield High School

Reviewed on February 28, 2015

Eden Halterman
Academy of the New Church
Submitted for publication to Inquirer-1

1830s London: where noble ladies and gentlemen are at the height of proper etiquette and fine fashion, the dirty streets of London are crowded with the poor and starving, and twelve-year-old orphan Oliver Twist roams the city, in search of a better life. Springfield High School brought Oliver Twist's story to the stage in their production of the musical "Oliver!"

The story of the young street urchin was first told by Charles Dickens, in his 1838 novel Oliver Twist. The novel was then adapted into the Tony Award winning musical "Oliver!" by Lionel Bart, in 1960. The musical follows young Oliver Twist, an orphan boy who escapes his employment at an undertaker's, and joins into the pick-pocketing gang of boys living on the streets of London, led by old Mr. Fagin.

Springfield High School's production of "Oliver!" was energetic and engaging, driven by strong leads, exceptionally talented supporting characters, and the beautiful vocals and spirit of the cast as a whole.

Evelyn Kampmeyer led the show with her sweetly childlike portrayal of Oliver Twist. She captured the heart of the audience with her youthful innocence and energy, and impressed with her vocal talent.

The show could not have been complete, however, without the exceptionally talented supporting cast. Nancy, played by Anna Ferrigno, brought the audience to its feet with her beautiful voice and raw emotion in her solo "As Long As He Needs Me." The comedic duo of workhouse beadles Mr. Bumble and Widow Corney, portrayed by David Yingling and Stacy DiCandilo, had the audience in stitches with their comical rapport in songs like "I Shall Scream" and "Oliver", and John Kampmeyer, playing Fagin, drove the show to success with his comedic energy, acting ability, and impressive vocal talent.

The streets of 1830s London were brought to life through eye-catching sets, realistic costumes, and dramatic make-up, which was designed and executed entirely by sophomore Gianna Zulli and the student crew. Although at times actors' lines difficult to understand due to dialects, the entire cast was lively, enthusiastic, and undoubtedly talented.

Springfield High School's production of "Oliver!" captured the heart of the audience with the plight of young Oliver Twist, and the cast's energy, commitment, and vocal talent fully deserved the standing ovation they received.

Anna Deeg
Plymouth Whitemarsh High School
Submitted for publication to Inquirer-2

Consider yourself at home at Springfield Theatre Workshop's peppy production of "Oliver!" With sophisticated sets and fervent faces on stage, the entire audience was immediately transported into Victorian England and the world of 1850s London came to life. Based on the classic Charles Dickens novel, the hapless orphan Oliver faces extreme poverty, eerie undertakers, dangerous crooks, and more.

The marvelous make-up design devised by Gianna Zulli fashioned eccentric and engaging characters from everyday high school students. This magnificent metamorphosis not only demonstrated astonishing creativity and ability, but also enhanced the entire production. The dynamic and adept choreography additionally enriched the performance; bringing a vital vigor and palpable excitement to the whole cast.

From the very beginning of the show, Stacy DiCandilo stunned with her impressive vocals as Widow Corney, transforming a minor character into one of the most memorable performances. John Kampmeyer, with an amiable accent and comical quirks, skillfully sculpted Fagin into the most endearing miser London has ever seen. Additionally, Fagin's gang of loyal looters exhibited remarkable dancing ability and an exciting intensity.

Portraying the title role, Evelyn Kampmeyer competently captured the meek and mild essence of the orphan Oliver. Her adroit flexibility enabled her to believably portray a penniless young boy, while maintaining impressive vocals, proficient dancing, and unbridled energy. As Oliver's only mother figure, Anna Ferrigno expertly delivered the complex intricacies of Nancy and her limiting situation. Along with sensational singing, the pair presented a profound partnership that electrified the show.

Consider yourself part of the family! The bright faces and thrilling vibrancy of Springfield Theatre Workshop's animated performance of Oliver! completely captivated the audience, and the authenticity and believability of the characters made everyone feel like they were in the comfort of their own home. Just be careful if you ask Mr. Bumble for more, he's known for being hot-headed!

Rachel Bostock
Academy of the New Church
Submitted for publication to News of Delaware County

Energetic, lively, and entertaining can not even begin to describe "Oliver!" at Springfield High School.

Oliver is a starved and needy orphan who runs away from a workhouse. He is then picked up off the streets by the Artful Dodger (Michaela Henry)and trained to be a pickpocketer. When attempting to pickpocket someone he is then caught by the police and taken away to Bloomsbury. He eventually ends up with another family who ends up being his long lost kin.

Evelyn Kampmeyer (Oliver Twist) brings great joy and energy to the performance. With her melodious harmonies and energetic acting she has the audience in the palm of her hand. Stacy DiCandilo (Widow Corney) has a outstanding ability to sing. She captures the audience with her loud and appealing harmonies with David Yingling (Mr.Bumble). These two together make the perfect match.

Zoe Hunchak (Bet) was the right hand gal of Anna Ferrigno (Nancy) and both were amazing. These characters showed great confidence and a great ability to own a stage. Anna Ferrigno really caught attention in every one of her solos. I could not stop getting goosebumps. She loved what she was doing and it showed through her powerful singing.

John Kampmeyer (Fagin) could not stop making me laugh. He obviously had the audience in joyful tears while singing "Pick a pocket or two."

As a whole, the cast did a great job of bringing energy to the stage. There is a total of sixty-five cast members and each person brings a different kind of energy to the stage. Twenty-five of those sixty-five were in elementary school. The Artful Dodger was in elementary school and she definitely performed well above average for an 8th grader. The orchestra was very good and was quite loud. The makeup done by Gianna Zulli was amazing! It was a great portion of what made the musical so realistic and lively.

In an entertaining two hours, Springside High School did an outstanding job at performing its production of "Oliver!"

Nick Sutton
Phoenixville Area High School
Submitted for publication to Springfield Press

"Oliver!", performed by Springfield High School, was a production that far exceeded any expectations that one may have had. Equipped with a large ensemble of varying ages, an exquisitely talented main cast, and an awe-inspiring showcasing of tech; "Oliver!"blew away the audience and left us with a hole in our heart from the depressing story.

Evelyn Kampmeyer portrayed Oliver, an innocent and easily manipulated young boy who won over the audience by using "his" adorable attitude and prowess at vocals, especially with "Where is love?" Joining Evelyn was her brother, John Kampmeyer as Fagin, a wacky local thief and avid persuader who could not be surpassed with his performance of "Pick a Pocket or Two."

Perhaps one of the best features of the show was their stand out ensemble. From utterly insane choreography to the songs, these boys and girls put everything into this show. Fagin's gang was one particular stand out in this musical, doing multiple scenes with the same level of zeal as the last.

All things considered, this was a superb show for the tech crew. The stage crew (led by Jenny Caggiano) did rapid transitions and almost seemed like they weren't even there. Lighting was always on point, from chase scenes to just stage lighting, they never missed a beat. One of the most incredible things was their makeup, however. Gianna Zulli, a sophomore at Springfield, did the make up for the cast and did a phenomenal job of it, making it look close to professional.

While Oliver has a rather dark storyline, the cast was still able to get laughs in. From outlandish costumes to some rather well placed jokes, the cast just seemed to know how to make people laugh. Perhaps one of the best was Mr. Bumble, the size of a sumo wrestler, and dressed similarly to Captain Crunch.

All humor aside, the show had a very profound message in it of hope. No matter what happened, there was always hope that things would get better, and they did. The actors vividly expressed that whenever they had the chance.

In conclusion, Springfield was able to put on an extraordinary show with a superb cast. The tremendous effort that went into this show was brilliant to behold.

Brianna Salvatori
Academy of the New Church
Submitted for publication to : Delaware County Daily Times

This weekend, Springfield High School put on the production of Oliver! With sixty-five cast members, they were able to create a well produced show, leaving you asking, "Please sir, may I have some more?"

Oliver is a British musical based on the book Oliver Twist written by Charles Dickens. The music and lyrics for the show was done by Lionel Bart. Oliver first premiered in 1960 in West End, London, soon movie to Broadway three years later. In 1968, the show was turned in to a musical film. Oliver is about an orphan workhouse boy named Oliver Twist (Evelyn Kampmeyer) who is mistreated and underfed at the workhouse orphanage. After asking for more gruel he is sold for five pounds to an undertaker and his wife. Oliver is still mistreated and is able to run away. He soon meets Fagin (John Kampmeyer) and his gang of orphan boys who he trains to pick-pocket. After one of the boys steels Mr. Brownlow, Oliver is accused of the crime but soon is found innocent. Mr.Brownlow then takes the feverish Oliver in and cares for him, and is astonished at the similarity between Oliver and his late daughter. Oliver is soon captured again by Bill Sykes (Alan Oruska) and his lover Nancy (Anna Ferrigno) and they take him back to Fergis. But Nancy feels guilty and plans on meeting with Mr.Brownlow and bringing Oliver with her. Bill finds out and brutally murders Nancy, but is soon caught and shot dead. Oliver now knowing that he is Mr. Brownlow's grandson, goes and lives with him.

The cast had great energy and you could really tell that they were having fun. At times it was hard to understand what some of the actors were saying because of the accents they were using. All together, they were really well put together and very enjoyable to watch.

Evelyn Kampmeyer did a fabulous job at portraying Oliver. Her singing voice was very angelic. She was very enjoyable to watch.

Ferrigno was outstanding as Nancy with both her acting and singing. The audience gave her a standing ovation at the end and she really did deserve it. John Kampmeyer also did a magnificent job with portraying Fagin. He was very animated making it a lot of fun to watch him.

Springfield did an amazing job with this production and I highly recommend seeing it.