Oliver

February 27, 2012

Phoenix Students On National Tour with Oliver!

by Phoenixphil

in Musical Theatre,Productions

Principal Phil Dale travels to Manchester to see Will and Jake

Phoenix Musical Theatre Students Will Edden and Jake Poolman are currently appearing in Cameron Mackintosh’s national tour of Oliver!, and Phoenix Principal Phil Dale and his wife Jules recently took a trip to Manchester to see them both perform onstage together. Will, 13, plays the main role of The Artful Dodger on the tour, having initially been cast as Nipper during the shows west end run at The Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. Following his stint there, he left the show to play Gavroche in Les Miserables at The Palace Theatre before being invited back to the show to take the much more demanding role of Dodger. Will must impress the producers as he is the centrepiece of a giant sized poster outside the Manchester venue. (Pictured below)

In  a bizarre twist, yet fantastic coup for Phoenix, 9 year old Jake auditioned for the tour and was offered the very same part that Will had vacated a few months earlier! (Jake is pictured as Nipper below right.) Although the boys are in different groups and rarely perform at the same time, a slight change to the schedule meant that there was a small window of opportunity in Manchester to see them in the same show and Phil jumped at the chance to see them onstage together.

“It was a fantastic evening!” Said Phil. “I saw the show 3 times in the west end and I genuinely think the touring version is even better. Both Jake and Will gave great performances and were a huge credit to the school. They are both shining examples of what can be achieved with hardwork and commitment” Both Jake and Will study Musical Theatre and Drama with Phoenix whilst Jake also attends Phoenix Dance classes on a Monday evening.

The show features TV star Neil Morrissey in the role of Fagin while Samantha Barks, who finished in the top 3 of TV talent contest I’d Do Anything, takes the role of Nancy. The boys are currently contracted until June and will travel with the show while it travels to Birmingham, Southampton and then Edinburgh. The schedule means they appear for 1 week in every 3 but luckily for Phoenix both Jake and Will are available to perform in the forthcoming Phoenix Musical Theatre and Dance Showcase at The Playhouse on the 11th and 12th March  and will perform a number from the show. Tickets are available now for just £10.

July 28, 2011

JAKE & WILL LAND PRINCIPAL ROLES IN OLIVER!

by Phoenixphil

in Musical Theatre,Productions,Senior Drama

Phoenix Students to Perform Together in National Tour

Will Edden and Jake Poolman from Phoenix are both set to appear in the National Tour of Oliver! which opens in Cardiff in December. Will, 13, who appeared as Nipper in the West End production 18 months ago so impressed Cameron Mackintosh that he has been asked to play the princiapl role of the Artful Dodger in the National Tour. This comes just a few months after he finished an 8 month stint as Gavroche in The West End production of Les Miserables.

In a fantastic coup for Phoenix, 9 year old Jake Poolman has stepped into the role vacated by Will and will perform as Nipper in the tour. The offer of the Nipper role capped off a fantastic few weeks for Jake who came runner up in the National Britain Does Variety talent search (pictured) and was then offered the part of a munchkin in the forthcoming Andrew Lloyd Webber production of The Wizard of Oz.

Phoenix Principal Phil Dale said, “This is a fantastic opportunity for both boys. We knew that Will was in the frame for Dodger because they were so impressed with him after the first production. Jake on the other hand had to go up against literally hundreds of other boys and to have 2 students both being offered a principal role in a production of this standard is a fantastic achievement.”

Both Will and Jake study Musical Theatre and Drama at Phoenix, with Jake also taking dance classes.  They both start rehearsals in October before the show opens in Cardiff in December of this year. The 14 month tour visits some of the most prestigious venues around the UK before closing in January 2013. The boys will spend 1 or 2 weeks a month away from home and will receive extra tuition whilst on tour to ensure they keep up with their academic studies. Full details of the tour can be found at The Oliver! Website.