Englishwoman Fiona Stephenson, a teacher at Queenstown Primary School, will tread the boards of the Queenstown Memorial Hall as Nancy, the tough-as-nails "lady of the night" and moll of gangster Bill Sykes.
Miss Stephenson said she read Charles Dickens at school, but she turned to the brassy character of Kat Slater, from EastEnders, for her performance.
"Everyone sees her as a big old tart, but everyone likes her.
She's got too much make-up on and wears low-cut tops, but she does that to survive in Albert Sq, and it's the same with Nancy."
Miss Stephenson auditioned in early February and was told she had won the part a week later.
"I was overjoyed, couldn't believe it really. I just went in there and opened my gob and blasted out noise.
"I didn't have anything to lose. I didn't think I'd get it ... I've got red hair, so that probably helped."
Rehearsals began in early March and it had been "full on" ever since.
The Queenstown Times caught up with Miss Stephenson when she tried on her costume for the first time, before the first run through Act 1, with all the performers together, in the Showbiz Queenstown rooms, on Wednesday night.
"It's feeling awesome. I'm loving it," Miss Stephenson said, when wearing Nancy's corset, basque, petticoat, thick woollen tights and dress.
"I want to go down Shotover St in it."
Miss Stephenson said her teaching colleagues were "quite amused and supportive".
Several of her pupils had heard about her role and thought it was funny.
She wondered if letting her 5 and 6-year-old pupils watch her perform was appropriate, given Nancy's character and violent end, but said she would see about organising a tour of the set for them.
Oliver! director and choreographer Stephen Robertson said he knew Miss Stephenson had "wonderful, natural instincts" from her performance as a Pink Lady in the Showbiz Queenstown production of Grease, which he directed in 2008.
"It was the emotion she put into the song," Mr Robertson said, when asked why Miss Stephenson was selected.
"She's an actor first and for me the acting of the role is more important than the singing.
"Even at the second audition, we were moved, so that was a pretty good indication she was the one."
