Please sir .... Rian Michelson really wants more — acting that is, not porridge.

Rian, 11, is one of the Gilbert & Sullivan Society's newest members and next month he will take on the leading role of Oliver in the Gilbert & Sullivan 35th anniversary production of 'Oliver' at City Hall.

'Oliver' with book and lyrics by Lionel Bart, is based on the 19th century novel, 'Oliver Twist' written by Charles Dickens about an orphan named Oliver Twist and a gang of thieves who take him in.

"I have been interested in theatre probably since I was in Year Four," Rian told The Royal Gazette. "That was when I was about eight-years-old.

"I have been in several little plays at City Hall and at school. I like being on stage. It is fun performing in front of lot of people."

Rian, who said acting was "kinda" scary at first, decided to try out for the role of Oliver after hearing about it at his school, Warwick Academy.

"I figured I would give it a shot," he said. "In the audition, they taught us a dance and we had to do that."

Since getting the role, he has spent a lot of time at home, working on his lines. "It's a lot to memorise," he admitted."

He described his character as "very outgoing". "Oliver worked in the workhouse, and he is really nice," said Rian. "He wouldn't be like Dodger or any of those guys (members of the pick-pocket gang in the story)."

Rian said being in the play has really opened his eyes up to what goes on behind the scenes to arrange a production.

"I didn't know about all the rehearsing that goes into it," he said. "With one bit we were practising, a person watching would never have thought there would be so much put into it."

He hopes to one day become a professional actor.

"An actor I admire would probably be Mike Myers," said Rian. "He is probably my favourite actor. He is on movies like 'Austin Powers in Goldmember'."

Rian said he was looking forward to his family and friends seeing 'Oliver'. "It is special because it is the 35th anniversary of the Gilbert & Sullivan Society in Bermuda," he said.

Kelvin Hastings-Smith will play the role of crime boss Fagan. Unlike Rian, Mr. Hastings-Smith is a Gilbert & Sullivan veteran, having been with them for eight years.

He was in such Gilbert & Sullivan productions including 'Guys and Dolls', 'Cabaret' and 'Ragtime'.

He is also well-known for his performances with the Bermuda Musical and Dramatic Society (BMDS), often playing the big-bosomed dame in the annual Christmas pantomime.

"I think I have seen G&S grow every year," he said. "The bar is raised every year. We have become more and more professional. We produce spectacular shows."

He gave credit to Marjorie Stanton, president of the G&S Society.

"She is the power house," said Mr. Hastings-Smith. "I don't know how she does it, but she manages to pull it all together every time."

Mr. Hastings-Smith has been in Bermuda for 16 years. He is originally from Sussex, in England, and works as a lawyer at Appleby, Spurling and Hunter.

He said many lawyers are naturally attracted to the stage. "I think it is a question of advocacy, and it is also that one likes the opportunity of performance," he said. "I think that whenever a lawyer is doing his job whether face to face, or to a court, or a jury, then it is a performance.

"Then one has to make sure that the performance is as good as it can possibly be. That is why there is the interaction with the theatre."

'Oliver' marks the first performance on the newly renovated City Hall Theatre stage which had to be completely revamped as termites were doing a number on it.

"The new stage is clean," said Mr. Hastings-Smith. "It is quite strange going on the City Hall stage now. All the old ruts and squeeky boards aren't there anymore. I am thinking 'goodness me, how will I know where to stand?'

He said the new stage is a lot safer than the old one. "The stairs were always a problem, particularly if you are wearing a long dress. You could trip over the holes in the carpet and the squeeky stairs. It is nice to have that resolved."

Mr. Hastings-Smith said he is a great fan of Charles Dickens. "He is a fantastic writer. I have made it my mission to try and read all of his works. I read 'Oliver Twist', as a kid.

"The character, Fagan, in the play, isn't quite as dark as he is in Dickens' book," said Mr. Hastings Smith.

"In the play, he appears to be quite light and jolly, but he is a very calculated man. He is very intelligent and knows what he is up to. With the character Bill Sikes, an adult member of the gang, it is brute force. He gets attention by his sheer presence."

Mr. Hastings-Smith said he has had to learn to pick pockets for the role. "The things you learn on the stage," said Mr. Hastings-Smith with a laugh. "It is a wonderful role."

But he said the story was a reminder of how grim life was at that time in England.

"If you were caught stealing something like a handkerchief, the options were you could be transported to Australia, transported to the New World or hung," he said.

"At that time boys like the one in Fagan's gang would and could be hung for stealing a handkerchief. Some of them were younger than ten-years-old."

Other cast members will incllude Emma Muggleton as Nancy, Paul Matthews as Bill Sykes, Rowan Vickers as Noah, Joshua Snelling as the Artful Dodger, Eugene Derosa as Mr. Bumble and Libby Durrant is Mrs. Sowberry.

Karen Bruce is the Director and Mark W. Dorrell is Music Director.

'Oliver' is on from October 7 to 17 at City Hall.

Tickets are $50, and they go on sale on-line on September 21 at 12.01 a.m . Buy tickets at www.premiertickets.bm . Curtain time is 8 pm everyday, except, October 11 which is a matinee at 3 p.m. and no evening show.