Matilda Jr

In my district I am blessed to be spoiled with the amount of Youth Talent with each Group raising the bar and upping the quality of their productions year after year and tonight’s performance of Matilda by Darlington Academy of Performing Arts was a perfect example of this. This was DAPA’s best full scale Junior production to date with every element of the show really excelling. Directors Paul and Joanne Mason really maximised the Theatre’s space and facilities allowing the cast to really shine in this wonderful production. The direction was really slick with the stage never overcrowded but packed with excitement from the off. 

Matilda is not an easy show to stage. Technically it offers so many challenges, the music and backing tracks are complicated with everything having to follow the music, from entrances to special effects to script - everything has to be tight and well rehearsed to even work let alone flourish. And flourish it most certainly did. This all Junior cast must have rehearsed their socks off because there were no glitches and they all clearly embraced the difficulty of the task in front of them.

The staging was wonderful with great use of oversized “lettered” boxes, huge rotating book cases that spun round with ease to create a lovely backing for the Acrobat Story scenes and all scene changes were effective and at a good pace allowing the story to flow. The lighting from Paul and his great assistant Liam Pattison really was of an incredibly high standard. Follow spots and multi-coloured beams of light bringing magic and life to every scene. Notable lighting moments included the lights following Matilda suggesting her walking along the rooftop and the green lighting mist for Bruce’s hilarious chocolate burp. 

Costuming, although relatively simple compared to previous shows like Elf and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, was exactly what the show required. The kids were all perfectly uniform in their uniforms, the Principal adult roles had the perfect amount of detail to create their characters. Trunchbull’s outfit was notably bland and militarian and the Wormwoods blazed in clashing colours and tacky numbers. The slick scene change into the Phys Ed scene worked excellently with a simple change to white t-shirts and black shorts across the board.

With so many big numbers in this musical the Ensemble has a huge role to play, from the very young students right up to the older teens, and this large group really brought this show to life. The energy and enthusiasm across the stage was infectious with some of my favourite numbers in the production also proving to be absolute hits with the audience. Every single member of the cast was heavily involved and the strength of volume in these numbers really came across. The routines were really effective making full use of the stage’s width and levels and the choreography had just enough detail to create life yet still ensure everyone was in harmony with each other. The routine in Smell of Rebellion really stood out with a full on exercise routine in full flow. School Song was really well worked with the older members taking on a complex and physical letter spelling sequence. The finale number, Revolting Children, completely raised the roof with so much passion and life from every member of the cast - we even had a full ensemble clapping in time, something most adult companies struggle to achieve. A huge well done to everyone in the company for their commitment to the performance, looking around the whole stage there wasn’t a single member not fully in the zone or giving the performance of their lives.

It is impossible to mention everyone in the School scenes but it was great to see some younger members really flourish in key roles. Evie Sorrie as Lavender was sensational from start to finish, her solo lines delivered with a real attitude, her beaming smile and overall performance made her a standout in the show. Winnie Corr as Amanda seized her little moment with her pigtail swinging scene and Matilda Hall as Nigel not only showed off a lovely voice but great personality in the role, delivering great panic in the scene where she hides under the mountain of jumpers. 

Jude Rees however continues to just get better and better every time I see him and as Bruce was a genius in the role. Not only was his chocolate devouring scene hysterical to watch with his facial expressions and line delivery perfect but he also got a great chance to show off a wonderful voice in Revolting Children. The opening section is a hard piece of music to master and he nailed it, he then also followed this up with some beautiful notes in the middle section whilst battling with the huge ensemble. Jude, we didn't just hear every note but we also heard pitch perfection in those notes so a huge well done.

One great thing about Matilda is that all of the Cameo and Minor Principal roles give the actors something to get their teeth into as they are all packed with character and it was great to see a cast really embrace this. The crazy Russian Mafia Boss played by Alice Pearson delivered attitude and swagger, our stylish and egotistical dance instructor Rudolpho played with such cheek and sass by Daisy Lee and the slightly dim Michael Wormwood played by Alexis Robinson who ensured that all of his 3 word lines were packed with punch.

The Acrobat and Escapologist were played by Laila Clegg and Jess Raw and they created lovely moments between them bringing Matilda’s story to life and really understanding their own importance in the plot. Their costumes were stunning and matched their own stylish performances.

The comedy duo of the evening had to go to Seb McKie and Georgi Wyer as the Wormwoods. What a great understanding of the roles these two had and they mastered the comic timing of both parts. Seb was excellent as the idiotic car salesman, his fraught energy and frantic behaviour only matched by his exasperating behaviour towards Matilda. I absolutely loved how Georgi played the slightly dimwitted Mrs Wormwood. Every little mannerism matched the spoiled and vain character, her accent perfect, the sarcasm in the voice handled really well and her complete characterisation was full of glitz and glamour to match her wonderful outfits.

Isla Wigham was the perfect Mrs Phelps, her portrayal of the Librarian ideal for the role delivering a great balance between two sides to the character. She gave us warmth and compassion towards Matilda whilst also bringing energy and frustration in her character when trying to get to hear all of the story of The Acrobat. Every line had a purpose and every movement was carried through with a meaning - a very talented actress.

Leah Sorrie continues to impress and as Miss Honey she really showed a lovely caring and compassionate side to her acting skills. Her connections with both Matilda and Trunchbull showed very different sides to her character with her nurturing side really shining through and her frustration and angst with the headmistress allowing her to lose her control in different moments. Her vocal ability continues to shine and This Little Girl in particular was beautiful to listen to with real control and tonal excellence on show.

In complete contrast to the soft and loving Miss Honey we had Isla Scott completely owning the character of the dreaded and iconic Miss Trunchbull. What a brilliant performance from this young lady. She absolutely owned the stage in every scene. Not just focussing on the line delivery, which by the way was menacing and sarcastic, but really understanding the importance of the physical attributes of the role. The almost masculine stance and long strided slow walk delivered control, the slowly delivered lines created fear and the raised monobrow always hinting at menace. I absolutely loved every part of this delivery with her control also evident in the huge musical numbers, especially The Smell of Rebellion.

Is there currently a more Iconic Junior Role in Musical Theatre than Matilda? I struggle to think of one and what a dream role it must be for most young performers. Well young Penny Kipling delivered a performance in the role that would not look out of place on a professional stage. Not only did she deliver some of the most beautiful vocals with a stunning soft vibrato and warmth to her tone but she managed to capture every single characteristic of the role perfectly. Her cheeky smiles, the worried complexions, the shy and nervous sides were all masterfully handled but to me it was the little and discreet things that took this from a great delivery to one of excellence. Occasionally I would notice one eyebrow every so slightly raised or a tiny lift on the side of the smile when up to no good and it was this detail for an actress so young that truly wowed me. I have seen Penny in quite a few shows now but this truly was a standout performance and one that really has me thinking that Penny Kipling is a name to look out for in the future. 

DAPA have split the casts to cover the 6 productions and if the other lead roles and ensembles are anything like those that I saw on this opening night then the rest of the week is going to be a huge hit. Chatting with the Production team and cast after the show I could see how much emotion was around the Theatre and it is understandable as this really was a show of great quality. So much work must have gone into it and it most certainly paid off. To everyone involved on and off stage thank you for another lovely warm welcome and for such an excellent evening of 1st class entertainment. I can’t wait to join you all next week for your production of Frozen Jr by your Mini members.

 

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