Matilda JR

Thank you for the lovely warm welcome I received on arrival. I enjoyed my
little chat with Ann who gave me some updates on how your new club MADE
were progressing. It was a massive undertaking taking on such a long
respected club, but now with a new name change I can honestly say I feel
like you’ve taken the society to a new level. I just know you’re going to go
from strength to strength.
I felt Matilda was a great choice for you to do, but when Ann told me how
many children were in the society, I honestly thought to myself how on earth
are they going to pull this off? Well.... This production radiated purpose. From
the first moments, it was clear that MADE approached Matilda Jnr. not as a
junior version of a musical, but as an opportunity to prove what a youth
company can achieve when every performer is valued and every moment is
engineered with care. The result was a show that flowed with remarkable
clarity, energy, and visual interest. And the icing on the cake was an
auditorium full of children sitting in complete captivated silence. This says
more than any reviewer ever could.
I must say the ensemble strength was the beating heart of this production.
Clever choreography and confident vocal coaching meant every performer
contributed meaningfully and the sheer commitment across the board was
thrilling to watch. With such a large cast, unevenness would have been
understandable yet it simply wasn’t there. Everyone gave their all and the
production showcased them with generosity and intelligence. This truly felt
like a team with something to prove and they proved it emphatically.
The decision to avoid blackouts wherever possible was inspired. Instead of
holding the momentum, MADE filled transitions with 11 additional routines.
This was a stroke of genius that kept the audience engaged and turned
scene changes into miniature showcases. These interludes were crisp
purposeful and bursting with personality. The pacing never stopped - there
was always something visually or narratively engaging happening. This is the
kind of staging that demonstrates real directorial confidence.

The lighting was impressively tight, with only a couple of humorous queue
moments that did nothing to detract from the overall polish and the sound
operator deserves a medal with a cast of this size and a score that demands
precision the queueing was remarkably smooth. It must’ve been a nightmare
plot yet it came together beautifully.
The costume team, led by Amy Lily did a fantastic job throughout the
production. There was some really inspired choices, especially for the
Wormwood family whose bright bold colours added so much personality and
humour to every scene. The costumes helped define the characters instantly
and brought great visual energy to the show. The props team also delivered
excellent work. It was clear how much time and care had gone into every
item and everything functioned smoothly on stage. The magic chalkboard
was a real highlight: clever, effective, and a brilliant moment for the audience.
Together, both teams contributed hugely to the look, feel, and fun of the
production. A strong creative effort all round.
Ann had told me how proud everyone was of the set, and I must say this was
a complete triumph. Intricate, characterful, and genuinely comparable to
professional productions. The playful integration of the club’s name
throughout was delightful and the way the set lit up added a magical quality
that suited Matilda perfectly Ann’s pride was entirely justified. This was a
standout achievement. I must just say the swings were one of my favourite
moments. Their use was imaginative, joyful, and gave multiple performers a
moment in the spotlight. You rarely see swings use this cleverly in musical
theatre, and the audience adored them. The comedy moment of the night
was the Miss Trunchbull and Amanda‘s plaits moment. A perfectly timed gag
that definitely earned its applause. Having the set movers in costume is only
a small detail I know but this was a smart one. The school tie look kept
transitions, visually cohesive and avoided breaking the world of the show.
MADE should feel enormously proud. This was a production full of ambition,
discipline and heart - a company working together at full stretch and loving
every second of it. Whist it’s a shame the full version of Matilda isn’t available
it’s clear that MADE could take on that challenge and absolutely smash it. My
sincere congratulations to every single person involved you created a
wonderful night of theatre.
MATILDA (Indie)
You gave a lovely performance as Matilda, especially for someone so young.
Your clear singing voice carried the role confidently and you handled the
music with ease. Your reactions to the Wormwood family were sharp and
funny, showing you understood the humour of those scenes. You also built a
gentle, believable connection with Miss Honey and Mrs Phelps which made
the quieter moments feel warm and genuine.

You certainly looked perfect for the role and captured Matilda’s quirky
thoughtful nature without overdoing it. That balance is hard but you managed
it very naturally. Overall this was a strong promising performance, taking on
Matilda is a big challenge and you handled it with talent and maturity. It’s a
great learning experience that will set you up well for roles in the future. Well
done.

MISS TRUNCHBALL (Kacey)
From your very first entrance, it was obvious we were watching a strong
performer. You commanded the stage immediately, setting exactly the tone
Miss Trunchbull needs- bold, intimidating and brilliantly larger than life.
You looked fantastic in your costume. Completely transformed. In fact, you
were so convincing that you genuinely wouldn’t have recognised you from
the program photo, a real compliment to your commitment and character
work. Your strong confident voice carried the role with ease, and you tackled
“The Smell of Rebellion” (a song full of tricky rhythms and fast lyrics) with
impressive control. It’s a demanding number and you handled it with real
assurance.
Your comic timing and expressions were spot on, landing the humour without
losing the characters intensity. You balanced the comedy and authority
beautifully creating a Trunchbull who was both funny and formidable.
Overall, this was a powerful polished performance from a young actor with
clear potential. You brought energy confidence and real character detail to
the role. A stand out piece of work.
MISS HONEY (Jess)
You gave a warm and caring performance as Miss Honey, bringing a lovely
calmness to the role. Your relationship with Matilda felt natural and genuine
and the two of you worked together beautifully on stage.
You handled the moment with the Wormwood family really well, showing
quiet determination and making it believable that Miss Honey would stand up
for Matilda. It was a gentle but confident piece of acting. Overall you
delivered a sweet thoughtful performance and captured Miss Honey’s
kindness with real sincerity.
MR AND MRS WORMWOOD (George and Alivia)
This was a fantastic double act, instantly creating that wonderfully over the
top Wormwood energy the show relies on. Together you built a perfect comic
partnership bouncing off each other with sharp timing, big reactions and
plenty of personality. Your scenes were full of humour, confidence, and
character detail, making the Wormwoods exactly as chaotic and entertaining
as they should be. A genuinely strong, funny pairing that added great life to
the production.
 

Michael (JJ)
This was a focused and committed performance as Michael. Even with
limited dialogue you stayed completely in character and we’re always an
integral part of the Wormwood family dynamic. Your reactions, presence, and
timing added great humour to the scenes, a real solid job from a young
performer.
MRS PHELPS (Lana)
This was a warm and engaging performance as Mrs Phelps, bringing a lovely
sense of enthusiasm to every scene. Your moments with Matilda were
especially sweet, creating a friendly, encouraging atmosphere that suited the
character perfectly. You reacted with great interest and excitement to Matilda
stories capturing Mrs Phelps‘ charm and curiosity in a simple but natural way.
A gentle, enjoyable performance.
ESCAPOLOGIST AND ACROBAT (Kiaron and Evie)
Together, you made a really strong pairing, each bringing something special
to the storytelling scenes. The Escapologist had a confident command of the
stage, giving those moments real focus helped by the stunning costume, that
you wore with absolute confidence.
The Acrobat added a wonderful sense of excitement. Your acrobatic work
was excellent, and there were moments that genuinely had the audience
holding their breath.
Together you created a compelling and beautifully balanced duo, adding
depth and energy and some nice theatrical flair to the production.
ALL OTHER CHARACTERS
The rest of the company delivered a strong and lively set of performances,
each adding colour, humour, and energy to the show. Every supporting
character felt clearly defined, and the ensemble worked together with great
focus and commitment. This was genuinely an impressive ensemble and a
credit to the production.
MUSICAL DIRECTORS
With quite a number of you listed as musical directors, I’m not quite sure
how this worked, but it did. This is no easy score to learn or teach, but even
given the age group of the cast and ensemble you all absolutely nailed it.
From the solos, to the big ensemble numbers, everyone delivered with such
confidence it was a joy to watch and listen to. “Miracle” and “When I Grow
Up” were my favourite high lites along with “The Smell Of Rebellion “ as I said
earlier it’s a shame the full score wasn’t available as I’m sure you’d have all
smashed that too.

CHOREOGRAPHER (Daisy Searle)

This has got to be your best work I should think. You had something very
clever going on especially with the big numbers. The opening was just
fantastic and looked spectacular with such a wide age range of cast. You
were so clever at making everyone look good and utilised everyone to their
best ability. I really enjoyed the scene change dances, what a great idea to
use the music in this way. It’s was always so interesting to watch and what a
clever way to use the company. I really enjoyed “When I Grow Up” the way
you choreographed that was just so exciting, I was thinking about it for days
after. I so look forward to seeing more of your work in the future.
DIRECTOR (Emily Searle)
I think by now you’ve realised that I really enjoyed this production.
I felt it was clearly guided by strong, thoughtful direction and the results
showed in every part of the performance. You had the cast working together
with real confidence and the relationships between characters, from Matilda
and Miss Honey to the larger than life Wormwoods, were shaped with care
and clarity.
You had a lovely balance of humour and heart, and the storytelling
throughout kept the pace lively and engaging from start to finish.
If I was to offer any advice for future productions, it would be to keep an eye
on the speed and clarity of the dialogue. As lines become familiar, they
naturally start to run faster, and sometimes the pace can get so quick that the
audience doesn’t have enough time to fully take in what’s being said.
Keeping the dialogue clear and measured will make sure every moment lands
as strongly as it deserves.
The creative choices you made from the bold costumes to the clever props,
all felt unified under a clear vision. It was obvious to me you created an
environment where the performers could shine, grow, and deliver their best
work. A strong well crafted piece of direction that brought the whole show
together beautifully.
Congratulations to all at MADE on a huge success, and I’m so looking
forward to seeing you all grow to even more dizzier heights.
Best wishes and hope you all have a great summer.
Mike

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