Matilda Jr. The Musical

The musical adapted from Roald Dahl’s successful book written in 1988 is 12 years old and now Broadway’s junior version, available for amateur productions, is rapidly becoming a welcome addition to the Annie and Oliver staple shows that give large casts of youngsters a chance to perform. For Kidz R Us to take the opportunity to stage it was inevitable and, as usual, the group members were able to demonstrate their talents with passion and discipline to a wholly appreciative audience in a pleasingly full house.

The realistic-looking brickwork surrounding the screens at SL, SR and above the upper stage area, framed a starry night sky while the floor of the main stage was dotted with colourfully wrapped packages. The bifurcated staircase between the two was fronted with a climbing frame, half of which subsequently revealed a cleverly concealed drop-down bed that was quickly and easily operated by Matilda. A set of over-sized children’s spelling blocks initially downstage was moved around by the cast to provide seating - I applaud the accuracy of their placement in a perfect diagonal DSL to USR! Above the wings we saw theatrical red velvet curtains topped with sparkly silver curlicues - these proved to be a fitting circus backdrop for the telling of Matilda’s imaginative story. A simple truck brought in the sofa for the Wormwoods’ home and turned at the end to show a cartoon car - excellent economy of design. Further small pieces made their appearance - a mirrored two-way bathroom cabinet facilitated Matilda’s swapping of the toiletries in a way that enabled us to share the joke; a hat stand from which maximum comic value was extracted as Matilda jumped up to retrieve and replace the hat; a full classroom of wheeled wooden desks with space-saving integral seats all precisely placed in rows; a gymnasium’s worth of equipment - mini-trampette, horse and crash mat that appeared in a trice; and the unpretentious white table and chairs of Miss Honey’s rustic home. The preparations and work that must go into creating the set and its temporary additions surely takes a long time and much effort. The fact that all is set and struck several times over the season shows the quality of the build and the dedication of a well-organised stage management team.

The lighting and technical effects added so much to the excitement of this show. A brilliant lighting plot ensured that each scene was given special consideration with washes of colour appropriate to the mood, frequently diffused through haze to lift the colours into three dimensions. Matilda’s enchanting solo saw the stage flooded with smoke/dry ice that added a powerful visual image to her wistful soliloquy. Spots illuminated the Escapologist and the Acrobat on their elevated perches as they acted out the episodic story and gobos were used to break up the large floor area. Sharp laser lights played across the performance area with great impact. Exceptionally striking was the prompt effect each time the Chokey was mentioned, with green light, gerbs exploding and a terrifying clank of closing doors to strike fear into the schoolgirls. Another sound effect we all enjoyed was the massive burp! The screens showed a succession of venues in detail that helped bring to life a gleeful birthday party full of balloons, the family home with flocked wallpaper and wall lights, the magnificent school facade, a well-stocked library, the schoolroom complete with giant blackboard that had magically appearing writing, the playground with chalked netball goal, the terrifying armoured dungeon doors of the Chokey, the portrayal of the tragic story of the Acrobat’s demise, Miss Honey’s modest shack and sundry transitions to keep the action flowing. The specially made film of Amanda flying around the world was utter joy to watch, preceded by a very slick switch to the dummy that was violently hurled off stage. The return as she landed was even more impressive - I missed the moment of swap back! but noted with great pleasure her arrival home from Disneyland with Mickey Mouse ears!

The individual mics picked up the vocals without hitches and the sound quality was good with the cast’s diction allowing us to hear the words even when singing (yeah!). The timing with the click track was impressive and there was a comfortable balance between soundtrack and voices. The first class singing was delivered in a confidant and expressive manner to really engage the audience in an infectious joie de vivre. The cast managed harmonies with confidence but not all the singing was easy I felt; Miss Trunchbull’s The Hammer and Matilda’s Quiet both had difficult tempo changes that came across extraordinarily well especially as there was no MD to help conduct the timing with the soundtrack.

So many props to organise backstage ...and have ready to appear at precisely the right moment! Colourful balloons, bunting and birthday presents, Michael’s ‘phone and popcorn, the tubes and bottles in the bathroom cabinet, Miss Trunchbull’s ball and chain ‘hammer’... I specifically commend the swiftness with which the framed pictures were hung on the flats in the Wormwoods’ home, and removed - more than once; such attention to detail! ...a book that could be ripped up, giant bean bags, school notebooks, the truly remarkable feather-trimmed pink vacuum cleaner, a briefcase filled with money, Miss Honey’s checked tablecloth, a hand held microphone, a magically tipping glass complete with bright green newt, and all those scooters! More, in fact, than I can possibly list but the piece de resistance must surely have been the disappearing chocolate cake so very cleverly and discreetly operated by Bruce.

A cavalcade of the most wonderful costumes passed by with rapid speed from the multi-coloured and widely varied fancy dress outfits of the birthday party; cat, clowns, soldier, dragon and fairies/ ballerinas, through to more than one perfectly detailed set of school uniforms; smart in grey, then red pullovers, P.E. kit, and the blazers that hid the unfortunate Nigel before the more relaxed mix of tie-dyed tee-shirts. The Wormwoods were gloriously dressed in ghastly array that so eloquently displayed their characters - the shifty car dealer in his loud green check suit, the self-absorbed and uncaring mother in her several so-unsuitable frivolous technicolour outfits and the favourite son lounging in casual shirts with a backward baseball cap. The Escapologist looked very showbiz in crushed velvet, top hat and extravagantly buckled belt, while the Acrobat was circus-clad in elegant leotard and a splendid feather headdress. Rudolpho had off the Latino look very nicely in his tight trousers and wide-sleeved shirts. Briefly we saw grey dungarees befitting the car mechanics and a little cameo as the floppy-capped cook came in. Miss Honey and Mrs Phelps wore typical unassuming dresses that perfectly suited the demure teachers while Miss Trunchbull looked positively fearsome in heavy boots and thick white socks topped by a grim grey frock belted with sturdy leather from which dangled her keys and whistle. Her change into gym-wear harking back to her days as an Olympic champion was hilarious and still scary! The all too brief appearance of the Russian Mafia was an absolute hoot as these mini mobsters strutted their stuff in black and white pinstriped suits and dark glasses.

The backstage make up artists had a job each night to turn a lovely youthful girl into the appalling looking Miss Trunchbull complete with severe black wig, enormous facial moles and heavy shading that could have been hairy sideburns! More delicate was the Acrobat’s fanciful make up but we also saw some fine moustaches on the Escapologist, Mr. Wormwood and the bold Sergei while the wigs of bleached blond admirably suited his sidekicks. There was a clever substitution of Mr. Wormwood’s curly black wig to the green after Matilda’s trick, and his wife’s vivid bold as brass colours were most appropriate. Noted that Amanda’s hair had to be in secure pigtails to stand up to being spun around by them.

The partnership of creatives putting this show together achieved a fantastic and memorable synergy. The singing, with its harmonies, tempo changes, solos and ensemble was strong, tuneful and eminently watchable combined as it frequently was with movements that suited so completely those of schoolchildren - less about dance steps but more the energetic horseplay of bounding over furniture and mischief-making that I found captivating. The routines, whether happy-go-lucky party or rebellious classmates, were so well rehearsed and displayed an obvious enjoyment from the Kidz that was irresistible. I loved the skill that went into the timing of the alphabet song with letters appearing with the words and then the comical and somewhat athletic popping out of heads from the wings at different levels during Hammer - genius! The Chokey Chant with its crisp staccato movements was particularly pleasing and the cast handled the various props incorporated into many of the numbers with ease and confidence. There was a circling action as they all closed in on Matilda that was suitably menacing and in contrast the freeze during Quiet was singularly poignant. Fabulous “I am Spartacus” moment! The finale with dozens of vibrantly coloured scooters whizzing around like The Horse of the Year Show was absolutely spectacular - and did anyone see how skilfully Matilda passed her scooter to another to take off stage - perfection! The stage was never static with ever-altering pictures using levels and tableaux to hold our interest and constantly surprise. You coaxed astonishingly consistent characters from your cast, all of whom performed with vitality and commitment in dancing, singing and dialogue whether centre-stage or as part of the ensemble supporting the main storyline. The discipline instilled in their stagecraft meant that they never spilled over into disorganised chaos. In fact, many groups with older performers do not show such dedication to mature and thorough preparation before opening to their public. Well done and huge congratulations.

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