Crestwood residents who attended one of last week’s performances of “Oliver!” might have recognized a familiar face in the cast: Ward 4 Alderwoman Megan Gadallah. This was the alderwoman’s first time performing in a Whitecliff Summer Playhouse production, which ran from July 9-12.
“Part of being a good community representative is being integrated into that community,” Gadallah said. “Getting to know residents who are part of various Crestwood programs, and gaining a deep understanding of those programs themselves, makes us more approachable and more aware of what is happening in the community.”
Gadallah wasn’t just taking part in the musical as a city official, but as a mother — her three young children, Maya, Mila and Malec were on stage beside her. And it isn’t her first time performing in “Oliver!” either.
“I did a company called Family Musical Theatre as a kid,” Gadallah said. “My brother and I did it with my mom. One of the plays we did when I was about my oldest daughter’s age — about eight — was ‘Oliver!’ So when I saw this was coming, I just had to drag my kids along and get them into it.”
The musical “Oliver!” premiered in 1960, and it is based on the 1838 novel “Oliver Twist” by Charles Dickens. The story follows the young orphan Oliver Twist who escapes a workhouse in London, eventually crossing paths with a group of young pickpockets led by a character named Fagin.
Gadallah says that her children participated in Lindbergh Schools’ production of “Beauty and the Beast,” but other than that, this was their first time being involved in a show. She was part of the adult ensemble, while her kids played workhouse children and Fagin’s boys.
“They’ve made friends, which is part of it,” Gadallah said about her children. “You go in, you meet people from different places, different schools. That’s part of the community aspect of it — meeting new people. I think they’ve liked it.”
Performing in the musical has brought back memories of her childhood, Gadallah says, of performing with her mother. She says that her clearest memories from those days are the practices and cast parties: running around with the other kids and learning the dance choreography.
“I think theater exposure is just so beneficial in so many ways: the cultural experience, being on a stage, being part of a big production,” Gadallah said. “The whole experience is so great for families.”
According to Gadallah, there’s another family who performed in the musical — a grandmother, mother and daughter — that has led her to reflect on her relationship with her children and her mother.
“When I found out they were three generations, it brought up a lot of emotions,” Gadallah said. “My mom passed away when I was pregnant with my oldest daughter. I can just imagine that she would’ve been doing all of this with us. … She started this interest in me so many years ago. So it’s been fun to get to do it with my kids and think that, in another 30 years when they have kids, they’ll be dragging their kids along to some community theater, and maybe I’ll be there to get to do it with them.”
