Matilda the Musical Jr

What an energy packed piece of youth theatre we enjoyed this evening! A simple set of lettered boxes and several pieces of furniture provided the palette on which the scenes (and there were several!) were played.   This, together with good sound and lighting, all added to a memorable evening for cast and audience alike.

Key to the whole show is, of course, Matilda – played here with excellent dialogue and singing by Mia Brown.  Thankfully, the part calls for frequent stage appearances which allowed us to make the most of this young lady’s acting talents. There were many named characters in the show – too many to name individually here, but suffice to say each and every one of them took their character to heart and combined to form an exciting production of this well-known musical.   Some characters must however receive mention.  Lewis Walker as the terrible Agatha Trunchbull maintained his grip on this feisty headmistress who hates children – his excellent costume and wig adding so much to the part.   Trunchbull contrasted well with the lovely Miss Honey (Lorelle Brodie), Matilda’s schoolteacher, whom she does not fail to impress.

The LAMA Youth chorus, as in previous shows, performed with gusto, and praise must also be levelled here at the production team of Director Ian Hughes, Asst Director Andrew Doig, Musical Director Katy Holligan and Choreographer Amy Elder. With absolutely no disrespect for the talents of the cast, this excellent Production Team brought out every ounce of theatre artistry from their young cast. Two full company numbers also deserve special mention, “When I Grow Up” and “Revolting Children” however it was very obvious from all the numbers in the show, just how much the cast were enjoying themselves, and this passes on to the audience. I can’t wait to see several members of this Youth Group join their parent adult  company in the years to come!

Well done one and all!

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