Whether you’re “There as Long as He Needs You” or you “Pick a Pocket or Two,” everyone is going to love the upcoming 7th and 8th grade fall musical on Dec. 4, 5 and 6, “Oliver!”

Mrs. Karen McCormick is the Bedford drama teacher, director, and one of the many fans of the upcoming play “Oliver!”

“Unlike a lot of plays that we do at Bedford, “Oliver” has real character with serious issues, like abuse, neglect, and violence between Bill and Nancy,” said Mrs. McCormick when asked about the challenging aspects of this musical.

“Oliver” is based on the 19th century novel, “Oliver Twist” by Charles Dickens. A musical version of the novel premiered in 1960 and was made into a musical movie in 1968.

“Oliver” is about an orphan boy who works in a funeral home, where he is miserable. He ends up joining a pickpocket clan, and gets taken in by the main characters, the Artful Dodger, Fagin, Bill Sikes, and Nancy. He is constantly going between living with his long lost grandfather who is rich or staying with this clan of pick pockets.

One of the most challenging parts as a director is getting actors into character, especially the evil ones. “I picked the roles very carefully, because some people just match the role,” said Mrs. McCormick. The main leads like Bill Sikes and Fagin have been very carefully selected, and Mrs. McCormick is happy with the results.

There are 70 students from 7th and 8th grade in the cast that are working very hard to make this musical great. Some numbers you should get excited for are “Consider Yourself” and “Food Glorious Food,” which are iconic scenes from the show.

“I practice my lines over and over, and imagine that I am Oliver,” said Gabe Sergeant of the eighth grade. Gabe is playing Oliver, and he is very excited about his number “Be Back Soon.” If he could star in one Broadway play for the rest of his life it would be Matilda.

“I watch scenes from the movie, read the book, and learn as much as I can about the play and my character,” says Aisling Kelly of the eighth grade, who is playing Oliver in the fall musical. “I try and practice 30 minutes a day to make sure I know what I have to say.” She is very excited about everything about performing in a big show, from the costumes to acting in front of an audience.

“Singing in a lower voice is the hardest part for me,” explains Krish Shah-Nathwani, an eighth grader playing Fagin. His favorite musical number is “Pick a Pocket or Two,” and he is excited about bows in the final performances.

“Getting into character is definitely the hardest part so far,” said Katelyn Wenkoff, the eighth grader who is playing Nancy in the eighth grade. To get into her character, she watches famous actors and actresses on Broadway who have already mastered her part. She looks forward to everything about the performances.

“Come join us and enjoy as the Bedford Acting Group display their hard work in Oliver! the musical,” urged Mrs. McCormick.