Matthew Verhelst and Victoria Hamilton will bring Oliver! to the Miner’s Lamp Theatre – more than a decade after the siblings first performed in the beloved musical together. Photo: Zoe Cartwright.
The biggest collaboration most of us have with our siblings is what to do for mum’s birthday – and that’s hard enough.
Avid theatre geeks Matthew Verhelst and Victoria Hamilton set their sights a little higher, however.
The driven duo will bring Oliver! to life with The Arcadians Theatre Group this month.
It’s not their first brush with the beloved musical.
After a chance audition in 2010, Victoria was cast as the titular Oliver by the late founder of Roo Theatre, Gordon Streek.
Matthew joined Fagin’s gang, and a love for all things theatre was ignited.
The siblings went on to immerse themselves in the Illawarra’s vibrant theatre scene.
After they graduated Victoria worked as a stage manager on musicals such as Harry Potter and the Cursed Child and Matthew worked in marketing on productions such as Southern Stars and Schools Spectacular.
When Matthew returned to Australia after a stint in London, they realised it was time to have a crack at a show of their own.
“We put in a submission not thinking we would get it – but we did,” Victoria said.
“It’s become our whole lives. We come to the theatre every evening and work on the set or the lighting or rehearsals.
“You’ll finish rehearsals, go home, go to bed and then hear someone yell from another room, ‘Did you finish the projection slides?’.
“It’s been so much fun; I can’t think of anyone else I’d rather do this with.”
‘Go big or go home’ was the mantra that guided the pair through auditions and set design.
They’ve accrued an ensemble of 71, including 50 children, and the set features bespoke touches that create a rich, authentic feel.
The chandelier lighting above the audience is an added bonus.
“They say never work with children or animals, but we thought if we were going to do this, let’s go big,” Matthew said.
“We opened it up to the Children’s Theatre group for the workhouse kids because we knew how excited we would have been to be asked to be part of an adult show when we were growing up.
“They were so excited and they bring so much energy to the start of the show. It’s been amazing to watch their confidence build.”
Matthew and Victoria said the theatre was an oasis in their childhood.
Their mum, Anne-Maree Hamilton, brought them up by herself while battling a chronic illness.
Despite the hardships she faced, Anne-Maree took every opportunity to share her love for theatre with her kids and supported their forays into the world of performance.
The siblings said their involvement in community theatre was motivated by a desire to share that love with others.
“We always wanted to put the community in community theatre,” Victoria said.
“You see this little family evolve from the cast and crew as you spend time together and work through some confronting scenes together.
“That’s why I love it.”
Their commitment to community has been richly rewarded, with shows almost sold out a week ahead of opening night.
Quite apart from the phenomenal writing, timeless themes and catchy tunes – Food, Glorious Food, for one – Matthew and Victoria said their rendition of Oliver! would reward audiences with some iconic moments in the second half.
It opens with a unique choreography for the dance number to Oom-Pah-Pah, before building to a heartbreaking rendition of As Long As He Needs Me by ‘Nancy’.
“She tears herself apart,” said Matthew.
“She performed it for the audition and it had so much emotion; you could tell she was a mum herself.
“You could feel the love in her core, and to me it’s one of the most powerful moments of the show.”
Oliver! will run from Friday 20 June – Saturday 5 July at the Miner’s Lamp Theatre in Corrimal. Tickets can be purchased online.
