Matilda Jr

What a fantastic evening I spent in Cleckheaton watching this wonderful production. In the programme synopsis we are told that Matilda Jr is the story of an extraordinary little girl, and along with all the other audience members I had the privilege of seeing not just one but many such extraordinary young people as they shared their energy, excitement and talents with us.

We are taken into a rose-tinted scene where the youngest children are telling us what their parents think of them - that they are our beloved little princes and princesses, angels and ballerinas … aah those wondrous days before they go to school and find out that there are big kids and teachers to make their lives a misery!

These kids are every size, shape and personality, just the way they should be, and the production team should be enormously proud of their little charges as the stage really does come to life when they are on. I often hear the phrase “not a weak link” but I can use it truthfully here. The production, cast and technical side all came together to give us this delightful performance.

With music and lyrics by Tim Minchin, many of us will expect the songs, lyrics and rhythms to be complex in places and this was definitely the case, yet this cast had them all nailed. Great harmonies too from this cast of twenty-four, with some wonderful solo performances.

The choreography was perfect for this show, tight, regimented when needed and yet with the freedom and robustness to give the kids room to really let their natural talents shine.

I love the use of chairs and rostra; they change the dynamic and shape of the playing area and particularly when there are quick scene changes, I can appreciate the many rehearsals to get the timing and spacing right for moving the story forward.

We see Matilda – a girl! – in a less than nurturing home environment, where Dad just can’t be doing with anything that gets in the way of his plans to make money and where Mum just doesn’t get why anyone would want to read a book! – thank Heaven for their son Michael then, who is more than happy to sit in front of the TV and not bother his parents by asking questions like his sister. The Wormwood Family themselves have a great parallel story about selling dodgy motors, with the parents, played effervescently by Ethan and Kate (thank you for stepping in). Their fantastic costumes contrast well with their inner shallow characters and Michael, played by Konor, matches them brilliantly with his expertly timed one liner replies.

Ms Phelps is a wonderful calming influence after the hectic home life Matilda has and as the librarian she is well placed to encourage Matilda’s love of books and of telling stories. Played beautifully by Olivia-Rose, this is one of my favourite characters in the show. She is the perfect mix of studiousness and being in awe of this young girl, and the way she interacts with the story of the Escapologist and the Acrobat helps their scenes to flow and keeps us on the edge of our seats. These two characters, played with the right amount of bravado, romance and pathos by Lilli-May and Evie brought some poignant moments to the story. Such tenderness is shown by these two that we could almost hear a pin drop as their story peaked.

Miss Trunchbull was played brilliantly by Sam Jones. Everything from the voice, the stance, the disturbing PE teacher persona just exuded the right amount of treachery without being black to the core. After all, teachers sometimes do know what is good for us. I would love to be able to eat a whole chocolate cake, but the Trunch teaches us this is just not the right thing to do - maybe the way she does it is not quite appropriate nowadays! What a joy to watch the interaction between Sam and Ciaran, who plays Bruce, these two lads thoroughly enjoying sparring with each other as we plough towards the end of the show and the victory of the kids.

Throughout all this and greatly supporting Matilda is Miss Honey. Such a beautiful portrayal of this character by Libby, with such a delicate vocal, such poise and natural charisma, we instantly warm to her. Libby shows such ease on the stage and it’s easy to feel that Matilda will be safe in her school and given the love and attention she deserves in her new home.

And what about Matilda herself? Well, she is played here by Lucy, a wonderful young actress who just bloomed in the spotlight. What an entrancing young person to watch; she was so relaxed, focused and at ease in our presence. She has a great stage presence and what a great way she delivers this story. A young talent that certainly has plenty of roles to play ahead of her, but her rendition of this character was just the right amount of quirkiness, despondency and fight to show that sometimes in life we’ve just got to make those changes happen.

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