Sewanee’s Griffey Stars as ‘Oliver’
Thursday, July 12, 2018
by Kevin Cummings, Messenger Staff Writer
“I have to be locked in a coffin, jump on someone’s back, get carried off stage—and I get smacked,” she said.
Eliza Griffey, 10, is eating a double chocolate muffin as she describes the abuse she takes as the lead in “Oliver!” showing at the South Jackson Civic Center in Tullahoma, through July 15.
The villains in the musical do not treat the orphan well, but Eliza only incurred one injury, a bruise during a practice faint. Her dad, Jason Griffey, said she had to learn “stage combat” for the role, which was a new twist for the young actress who’s also appeared regionally as Jojo in “Seussical” and Kate the orphan in “Annie.”
“There’s no stage combat in ‘Annie,’” Jason said, laughing. “…This is certainly her most demanding role, because Oliver is on stage so much, almost the whole show, and there’s a lot of physicality involved.”
The upcoming fifth grader at Sewanee Elementary School orders a water to help wash down the giant muffin. On the day of the interview at a local restaurant, it’s less than a week from the musical’s opening, which marks Eliza’s first leading role.
“’I’m nervous but excited at the same time,” she said. “I’m nervous that I’m going to mess up but I’m also really excited to just do it.”
Besides the physicality and stage time, Oliver is also demanding because it requires Eliza to tap into serious emotions.
“I think I’m better at comedy than drama, being sad and stuff like that,” she said, “because I can make people laugh really well, but it’s hard to make people feel sorry for me.”
Acting is her favorite activity, she said, between bites of chocolate muffin.
“I like that you get to be someone else for just a little period of time and you get to make the audience happy,” she said.
Besides acting, she also likes to read fantasy and graphic novels, adding that she loves to swim.
Jason, and Eliza’s mom, Betsy Sandlin, a Spanish professor at Sewanee, are both supportive in helping their daughter choose roles and get ready for performances.
“Mostly I’m just really proud of how hard she works,” Jason said. “The cool thing for me watching her, is that she’s found a passion where she works really hard and then gets to see the results of that hard work.”
He said when people clap and congratulate her on a good job, it’s touching.
“It’s really neat to see her be rewarded for her work she’s put in; that’s a cool thing to see for a dad,” Jason said.
One of Eliza’s biggest acting inspirations is Kristin Chenoweth, who’s appeared in film and TV, as well as being a Tony Award winner on Broadway. Eliza said she’d liked to act on Broadway eventually and her dream role is Elphaba in “Wicked.”
But in this moment, she’s relishing her first lead role in Tullahoma.
“It’s been really, really fun because I never feel like I have too much responsibility on me,” she said, “because all of the other cast kind of balances me out, because they’re so amazing.”
Based on Charles Dickens’ novel, Lionel Bart’s “Oliver!” tells the tangled story of an orphan who falls in with a gang of pickpockets, his rescue by the benevolent Mr. Brownlow, and the forces who seek to destroy young Mr. Twist.
Showtimes are 7 p.m. each night, except for the Sunday matinee, July 15, at 2:30 p.m. For advance tickets, visit <southjackson.org> or call (931) 455-5321.