Production of Oliver! Features Two African American Leads


Production of Oliver! Features Two African American Leads

By Tia Carol Jones

Erline Dorcy has always been a theatre kid. She grew up watching a lot of musicals, Annie, the Sound of Musical, Grease and Oliver. She knew she always wanted to be a performer. She performed while she was in elementary school, high school and majored in Musical Theatre and Performance at Columbia College. When Dorcy is not performing, she is teaching performance and theatre.

Carmelo Kelly wanted to try his hand at acting after hearing his brother talk about it and thinking that it sounded like fun. He has portrayed Scout in Gypsy, Chip in Beauty & the Beast, Pinocchio in Shrek and Michael Darling in Peter Pan.

Carmelo Kelly will portray Oliver and Erline Dorcy will portray Nancy in the musical Oliver. The show will run from Thursday-Sunday, Aug. 28th through the 31st at the Beverly Arts Center, located at 2407 W. 111th St. The musical tells the story of an orphan who runs away to London and joins a group of child pickpockets.

Kelly said he auditioned for Oliver because it is such a good show, and he really wanted to be part of the cast. Dorcy said she auditioned for Oliver because she wanted there to be some black representation in the cast. She said, with a show like Oliver, you don’t always see diversity in the casting of roles.

“Especially at the Beverly Art Center (BAC), since it’s on the South side and a lot of our younger audiences come to see the show, it’ll be a great thing for them to see as many people as they can representing people of color, that was a big thing for me,” she said.

Kelly said he was really excited when he found out he would be cast in the lead role. To prepare, he has taken voice and dance lessons. He said he really wanted to make sure he was prepared because it is a big role for him. Kelly said he is glad to be back on the Beverly Arts Center stage.

Dorcy said she based her version of Nancy on her Haitian background, doing research on Haitian migration to London. She said Nancy is very loving to the children and committed to Bill Sikes. She said that Nancy is complicated because she wants to help Oliver but doesn’t want to break the bond she has with Bill. She said that giving Nancy that particular storyline brings more depth to the character.

Dorcy said “As Long as He Needs Me” is a key song that everyone knows that Nancy sings. She said it is a beautiful song, and it is beautifully written. Kelly and Dorcy agreed their favorite song from the musical is “It’s a Fine Life.” Dorcy said the song shows the softer side of Nancy, who she truly is and why everyone loves her. She said everyone is on stage and everyone has a lot of fun together. Kelly said it is a fun song and fun to watch.

“There are bold choices being made and if you watch specific people, everyone is doing their own thing and it’s so amazing to see everyone growing as actors,” said Kelly. He said he hopes people are excited to see the show and that they like it.

Dorcy said she hopes the production brings new people to the theatre. She hopes the audience takes away a life lesson that no matter what they are facing, to always choose to do the right thing. She also hopes that people come and have fun. She said although it does have a dark side, it is an uplifting musical if people see the underlying story.

“The Beverly Arts Center is a gem on the South side. They are committed to telling amazing stories on stage and showcasing diversity and everyone’s talent and I hope a lot of people from the South Side who haven’t been to the theater come and see a show,” Dorcy said.

For more information about the Beverly Arts Center, visit www.thebeverlyartscenter.com. For tickets, call 773-445-3838.

Latest Stories

Latest Podcast

STARR Community Services International, Inc.