The students of Weehawken High School are taking over the school’s auditorium next weekend to put on “Oliver,” the Broadway musical rendition of Charles Dickens’ famous novel Oliver Twist.
With a cast and crew of over 60 students, the show is entirely produced by students ranging from seventh to 12th grade. Assistant Principal and former music director Steven Spinosa offered an exhaustive list of duties for which the students were responsible during this year’s musical.
“The students do everything from the acting, the backstage, the scenery, the artwork, the lighting; they handle the costumes, the music, the programs, the tickets, they even sell refreshments outside,” he said. “They truly make the whole thing work.”
“It’s truly a sight to be seen.” – Steve Spinosa
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“The kids can walk on it,” Spinosa said. “It’s truly a sight to be seen.”
Set decorations and artwork were created by the kids and overseen by art teacher Elizabeth McParland.
Principal Peter Olivieri and the Board of Education have allowed the students to run a full-length theater production for the past seven years, with the help of professional and educational theater group Inside Broadway Inc. The New York-based company supplies artist residences to schools to help students learn the ins and outs of putting on a professional performance.
“From Inside Broadway, we get a professional director and musical director right from Broadway that bring their experience and talents to really teach our students,” Spinosa said.
Year after year, the school has been able to hire Director Braddon Mehrten to help coach the children to put on the productions.
“We’re one of the very few, if any, schools in New Jersey that are able to do that,” Spinosa said.
Show times for “Oliver!” are next Friday and Saturday, March 26 and 27, at 7:30 p.m. General admission is $5. The play will be held at the Weehawken High School auditorium.
Full cast and crew
The musical follows the adventures of young Oliver Twist after he slips out of an orphanage in London and becomes involved with a group of pickpockets.
Sponsored by the Board of Education, the Township Council, and the Weehawken Municipal Alliance Against Alcohol and Drug Abuse, this year’s production is one of the largest in the student-run series.
Female lead and senior Deanna Lantigua said that she loves acting because it’s such a challenge, and with “Oliver!” she was given just that.
“I love to sing, but when it comes to acting,” she said, “it’s about reading the lines and trying to capture the feeling of what I’m trying to say. It’s a challenge for me, and I love challenges.”
For Lantigua, playing the part of Nancy was anything but boring. “I love my part this year,” she said. “My part is actually killed at the end, so there’s some violence and a lot of emotion that goes into it.”
Young woman as Oliver
Sophmore Aicha Ndiaye, who plays Oliver, said this year is her first time playing a lead role. “It’s my first time having a lot of lines, so it’s really fun for me,” she said.
But acting in a male role was the biggest challenge for the young actress.
“I like playing a boy because you don’t always have to be so poised like the girls do,” she said. “I can run around in shorts, and be a lot looser on stage.”
Stephanie Agudelo, who plays the Artful Dodger, is also portraying a boy.
“I never played a boy before, so I had to come up with a new way to walk and a new way to talk,” she said. “And the accents are really difficult.”
Agudelo has worked with Inside Broadway Inc. and with Spinosa for the past three years and is grateful for the experience.
“It’s so exhilarating being on stage,” she said. “The pressure you feel on stage to be perfect – it’s such a thrill.”
The cast and crew have been working on the play since December. In total, 22 two- or three-hour rehearsals have gone into the final production.
Sean Allocca can be reached at editorial@hudsonreporter.com