'Oliver!' twists its way into Wharton Center
One of theater's legendary musical classics will be gracing East Lansing for the first time. Lionel Bart's "Oliver," based on Charles Dickens' novel "Oliver Twist," started at Wharton Center for an eight-show run Tuesday. The story follows the adventures of an orphaned boy, Oliver Twist, who escapes from the stronghold of an evil London workhouse and is warmly accepted by a gang of pickpocketers to accompany them to do their dirty work. Although stealing isn't the most optimal, or most honest, line of work in the world, when Oliver finds himself in a trap with the big, bad villain Bill Sikes, he realizes his fellow thieves are the best friends on the entire planet. Shane Tanner, who plays the scoundrel Sikes, said his character is the darkest villain one could ever portray. "He's very immoral and self-preserving," Tanner said in a recent telephone interview.