Suffice it to say, there have probably never been as many children clamoring to get into an orphanage as there were in Millburn yesterday.
The Paper Mill Playhouse held auditions for Oliver, the musical based on Charles Dickens’ novel about the orphan Oliver Twist. More than 300 children (and their parents) turned out to try, including three young performers from Verona: Jack McHugh and Grace and Caroline Gault. Unfortunately none of the Verona performers got a callback this year: Last year, both Grace Gault and Maya Fortgang got callbacks for The Sound of Music at the Paper Mill, and Fortgang ultimately won the part of Brigitta.
That didn’t seem to dampen anyone’s enthusiasm for the process. “Jack did not get called back, but he had fun, and what a beautiful morning,” wrote his mom, MaryEllen McHugh.
Oliver runs November 21 to December 29.
![Pinterest](https://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=https://myveronanj.com/2013/09/08/veronans-audition-oliver/&media=https://myveronanj.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Papermill-Oliver.jpg&description=Three young Verona performers were among the more than 300 children who auditioned for a part in "Oliver" at the Paper Mill Playhouse.){kind=link}