This post is going to be a bit of a diversion from my usual subject matter, because this week is Oliver! the Musical production week for the Words Players, a theater group I'm proud to call myself a part of. While this has made me extra-busy (and unfortunately too busy to post until now), it's also made me stop to think. (A lot.)
Oliver! is a play based on Charles Dickens' book Oliver Twist. The story deals with many weighty issues, and a central theme of the story is corruption. At the end of the story, one of the main characters, Nancy, saves the protagonist, Oliver Twist, from an abusive criminal who happens to be her lover.
My unedited cast biography follows. I guess it could be called "expanded" since it wasn't published in its original - and longer - form.
Landon Brands is no stranger to theatre, especially Words Players, having worked lights and crew since 2006. But there’s a first time for everything, and Oliver! is his first time on stage in a WP show. Outside of theatre, he’s into music, technology, and all things creative; he also runs a print magazine and blog. He says: “Oliver! has a complex - and dark - story, but I think we can take a lot away from it. Look at the bribes, confusion, and criminal activity that holds up (and steers) the plot. While it may be easy for us to criticize historical happenings of another continent, we really should ask: in 150-odd years, will people read history books (and maybe even see plays, which are maybe even now being written) claiming that the very era you and I are living in was characterized by corruption? Would authors be right to say so? Are we willing to, like Nancy, awaken to this realization and fight, suffer, and maybe even die for what is right?”
It could be said that corruption dominates the news cycles, at least concerning the way our nation is governed. Just this week, Rep. Rangel (D-NY) of the giant House Ways & Means Committee, along with his lawyers, said he would try to make a deal to avoid facing ethics charges.
So is corruption worth fixing? Is it worth the hard work of electing - and then holding accountable - honest leaders? You decide. The history books are being written.
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