The adaptation of Roald Dahl’s classic novel is a surefire family fave
A little girl captured the hearts of the world in 1988 when Roald Dahl brought her to life in his children’s novel “Matilda.” The story has since been told in a variety of different media, with a 2010 stage musical version winning fans around the world.
True to form, the production of Matilda the Musical! now up at Town Hall Arts Center in Littleton has already sold out most of its run as a non-holiday family show. Directed by Steve Wilson, Matilda has a book by Dennis Kelly with music and lyrics by Tim Minchin delivering a satisfying and tuneful musical that is just as appealing to a younger crowd as their parents and grandparents.
Matilda (Ellie Plenk) is born to Mr. and Mrs. Wormwood (Mike Martinkus, Jamie Molina) and is immediately cast aside because she is a girl and not the boy they were hoping for. When Matilda enters school for the first time, she befriends her teacher Miss Honey (Cara Lippitt) as her appetite for reading becomes more and more voracious. Recognizing Matilda’s intelligence, Miss Honey suggests that she be moved to the top class, but the child-hating headmistress Miss Trunchbull (Brian Merz-Hutchinson) quashes that idea without giving it a second thought.
Miss Honey is desperate to help Matilda and to that end visits Mrs. Wormwood — who merely mocks the child’s love for books and her intelligence. Besides, she is too busy with her dance partner Rudolpho (Joe Barnard) to listen to Miss Honey about her disappointing daughter Matilda.
Act Two is filled with more obstacles for Matilda to overcome. Continuing to be neglected by her parents and bullied by Miss Trunchbull at school, Matilda uses her wit and recently discovered telekinetic powers to find solutions to the things holding her back. In a happy turn of events, Miss Trunchbull flees the school and Miss Honey is named the new headmistress. Also out of the picture are Matilda’s parents, who end up escaping the Russian mafia and relocating to Spain while Matilda stays behind and lives with Miss Honey, most likely happily ever after.
The production is filled with many outstanding performances, starting with Merz-Hutchinson as Miss Trunchbull. This role is often played by a man in previous productions, and it adds a wickedly comic dimension to the musical. Merz-Hutchinson is outfitted with accentuated body parts both upstairs and downstairs. His breasts are like oversized watermelons and his posterior could easily kill someone should he sit upon them.
Brian Merz-Hutchinson as Miss Trunchbull | Photo: RDGPhotography
As Matilda, sixth-grader Plenk is delightful in the lead role. Her performance shines as the precocious young girl who ultimately rises above her bleak circumstances and demonstrates that sometimes the most deserving succeed. Other standouts in the cast include Lippett as Miss Honey, whose wonderful singing voice shines throughout the performance. Both Mr. and Mrs. Wormwood, played by Martinkus and Molina, are highly comedic actors and command the stage as less-than-loving parents to Matilda. In a brief, but notable performance, Barnard as Rudolpho captures the sublime essence of Mrs. Wormwood’s dance partner, and it is a performance worth watching out for.
As directed by Steve Wilson, the production is a winner through and through. Highlighting good versus evil with total abandon, Wilson directs it mostly with a straight face garnering an abundance of laughs from the audience.
Roald Dahl’s Matilda the Musical! is a fine addition to the current theatre scene playing to all ages of theatergoers. This is a delightful production that captures the dark side of life while illuminating that which is ultimately good.
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