Cantilon Choir brings Oliver! to the stage

A Dickensian tale will come to life on the Arden this weekend as the Cantilon Choirs brings their version of the musical Oliver! to the stage.

The musical adaptation of Charles Dickens’ work was first staged in London in 1960. St. Albert resident Heather Johnson, the choir’s artistic director, said the show is great fit for Cantilon.

“Oliver! is a great kids’ show and there are a lot of kids in our program.”

This weekend’s 2:30 p.m. matinee performances at the Arden Theatre will include members of the Cantilon’s Chamber Choir, which is made up of children between 12 and 19, as well as the adult female choir Belle Canto.

Johnson said both choirs are really looking forward to taking the show to the stage. They expect audiences, especially families and children, will really enjoy the performance.

“It is also a really great family show, it is great music, really catchy music for audiences,” she said. “Even people who don’t listen to a lot of musicals recognize music from Oliver!”

Both choirs mostly focus on classical music and Johnson said this show allows them to broaden their horizons while also acting and staging a bigger performance.

Johnson said the musical adaptation of the show does a good job of bringing the characters in the classic novel to life and really connects with the audience.

“Stories are all about characters and Dickens is full of phenomenal characters and so Oliver! is no different, the characters come straight out of the book on to the stage.”

The performances this weekend are also a major fundraiser for the choirs to allow them to support their busy touring and recording schedule.