Matilda the Musical Jr

This production of Matilda the Musical Jr. offered yet another stunning experience from WOW, matching their usual, amazingly high standard. Given how challenging Matilda is as a production to put on, this achievement from all concerned – and I really do mean everyone, cast, crew, production team, front of house etc. – was all the more admirable and everyone involved deserves massive congratulations. Performed in the Bay Theatre at Weymouth College rather than the Weymouth Pavilion, the production made very good use of the staging and flowed with creativity. The quality of the direction, choreography, acting and singing shone out and a feeling of joy, humour and energy, along with dramatic tension pervaded throughout the performance, right from the amusing introduction in which Miss Trunchbull ordered the audience to make sure their phones were turned off.

The energy level was set with the first song, Miracle. The large cast filled the stage and the choreography, including leap frogs, was just right: very tight but allowing the performers, who executed it brilliantly, to display their ability, athleticism and energy. The choreography combined perfectly with the singing throughout, as in, for example, When I Grow Up. This was started by Bogtrotter, who was then joined by another boy followed by two girls, and then more pupils came in. The singing, including some lovely harmonies, was superb and as the song built in power so too did the choreography as the pupils wheeled around the stage on scooters, ending up with them scootering through the auditorium. The same effect of the children revealing their energy and ebullience through the powerful singing and choreography was delivered in the song Revolting Children.

This production was very much an ensemble piece, involving a clearly hard-working cast who were talented across the board, in singing, dancing and acting, many displaying a stage presence well beyond their years. They all exuded a confidence on stage and each one not only had their character nailed, but also kept in character from start to finish. Given that, it might be invidious to single out specific individuals but I do feel that special mention should be made of some particularly striking performances.

The actress created a perfect Miss Honey with a mild manner overlaying a very strong, caring attitude. She sang This Little Girl superbly, with great sensitivity. There was a a very effective performance as Mrs Phelps the librarian, and I was particularly struck by the way she was riveted as Matilda told her story; the effectiveness of those scenes depended on her reactions as well as the actual storytelling by Matilda. There was a delightful perfomamce as the son Michael, playing ‘stupid’ very well indeed. The character doesn’t say much and that means that the actor playing him has a more challenging job in bringing out the character non-verbally. Finley really achieved this.

There was plenty of humour in the production and especially noteworthy was the head of the Russian gangsters (a wonderful cameo) and Mr Wormwood. There was a wonderfully outrageous Mrs Wormwood and there was an utterly scene-stealing performance of consummate artistry and great focus from the dance instructor Rudolpho. Close-to, but not over, the top – very funny indeed.

In this production packed with stunning performances, there  was an outstanding Bruce, delivering his performance with immense confidence and ability, beyond his years. In both his dancing and his singing he had enormous energy and executed the chocolate cake-eating scene convincingly.There was an excellent as Matilda, focussed and able to portray a wide variety of emotions. Again, a very impressive performance for her years. She got the timing just right, not an easy thing to do, and in addition to her strong singing in Naughty I was particularly impressed by her delivery of the song Quiet. The way in which she sang about the noise in her head, quietly but powerfully, was very moving and in this song she really showed her acting and singing ability.

Amid all the wonderful and entertaining characterisations the stand-out performance of the evening was that of Miss Trunchbull. It was riveting and he succeeded superbly in a very demanding role. What I found particularly impressive was how he was often restrained in his performance where it might have been tempting to go over-the-top, and in so doing he was able to make Miss Trunchbull genuinely scary, as well as funny. In addition to top level acting he showed that he has a great voice, as in the songs The Hammer and The Smell of Rebellion, and an athleticism which included some impressive high kicks.

Matilda the Musical Jr. is a challenging and complicated show to put on and it was directed, performed and managed brilliantly. A simple set was used and the lighting was very good, making effective use of big backdrops such as the school gates/railings in School Song and images of fire in the song Quiet. Huge congratulations are due to Director and Choreographer Martine Burt, to Nikki Budd, the Musical Director. Singing to recorded music tracks is notoriously harder than with a live orchestra and congratulations to all on succeeding in this. Entrances and exits were handled smoothly and the whole show was very tight. Everyone demonstrated great commitment, focus and team work and the result was a really memorable, moving and entertaining show. As I left the auditorium I could hear the audience humming tunes from it, as I was myself. Well done to you all, it was something of which to be really proud.

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