Matilda Jr

I was warmly welcomed on arrival for the second performance of the day. The cast of 40 (as listed in the programme) ranged in ages from six years to eighteen years old.

The set was fairly basic, relying on numerous props and small items of equipment and furniture being moved on and off stage constantly throughout the performance and well organised by Trevor Marks, Stage Manager.

All the 0children were extremely well rehearsed and knew exactly what they should be doing and their position on stage, with barely a movement or gesture out of place. They were a great credit to Debbie and her team.

Act One opened strongly with a rousing song Miracle by the company, including the acrobat,( Matilda ) and escapologist,( Stanley ). In fact the ensemble and company songs ie School Song, Bruce and Revolting Children were all really good with strong voices and good acting and movement.

There were some excellent individual performances from those playing the main roles and small parts, who, without exception, projected their voices remarkably well. There were far too many to comment on individually but each and every one acted out their parts well and with huge enthusiasm .Of special note was Ruby who, as Matilda, was on stage constantly, acting her part very well and with great ability and energy. She had a strong voice which came over particularly well in Quiet and also in When I Grow Up.

I loved the character of Head Teacher Agatha Trunchball, played by Ella. She had a very bossy and efficient manner and Ella really captured this very well. She sang well in The Hammer and The Smell Of Rebellion and had some fabulous facial expressions !

Megan, as Class Teacher Miss Honey, was a gentle character but proved able to stand up to the imposing Miss Trunchball. Megan had a charming voice which she put to good use in This Little Girl.

Mr and Mrs Wormwood, Ted and Eleanor, were well matched as Matilda's parents and reacted well with each other. Ted played Mr Wormwood very convincingly as the rogue like character in his quest for Russian money and in his treatment of Matilda, regularly addressing her as “son”. I also liked Eleanor's interpretation as the flighty wife.

Zachary, as Bruce, was confident, likeable and energetic in his part.

The carefully choreographed dancing and movement by all the cast was well planned and looked near perfect which can be difficult to achieve with such a wide age range in the cast.

Costumes were uncomplicated but totally relevant, with all the children dressed in matching grey school uniforms and others from the society's costume wardrobe, under the eye of Wardrobe Mistress Anita Hall.

This was a sparkling production by a group of talented young people some of whom had not previously been on stage. Well done to everyone both on and off stage and special congratulations to Debbie for bringing this challenging musical to life.

The appreciative audience loved this and so did I!

 

 

 

© NODA CIO. All rights reserved.