A bright and funny take on the children’s classic
For kids who feel put upon by the world, Matilda has long been a foundational text — first as a 1988 novel by Roald Dahl, and then as a 1996 film by Danny DeVito. Like Cinderella who came before her, Matilda Wormwood is a bright light whose radiance is being deadened by several strokes of rotten luck. In the case of young Matilda, her shallow, corrupt, egotistical parents can’t stand the fact that she’s a plucky do-gooder with a love for reading; then, when it’s time for her to start attending school, she finds herself under the thumb of monstrous headmistress Miss Trunchbull.
Given the flights of fancy of both the Dahl and DeVito versions, it seemed only a matter of time for Matilda to get the musical treatment, which it did in 2010, with music and lyrics by Tim Minchin and book by Dennis Kelly. Now, Matilda the Musical is hitting Tacoma Little Theatre, directed by Jennifer York, with a sizable cast of child and adult actors, led by Hazel Barnett and Nell Edlund, trading off performances as Matilda.
Before we meet Matilda, we see her boorish parents, Mr. and Mrs. Wormwood (Ryan Coleman and Stephanie Leeper), who tear through life in an endless search for self-gratification and get-rich-quick schemes. They loathe any whiff of intellectualism, so while they love their vacant, TV-obsessed son Michael (Caleb Osbourne), they are naturally disgusted by Matilda’s smarts and good nature. The Wormwoods, as a unit, get some of the biggest laughs in the show.
At school, kind-hearted Miss Honey (Brittany Griffins) wants nothing more than to teach the children she so cares for, but is undermined by the hulking, malevolent Miss Trunchbull (Jacob Axelson). As Miss Honey, Griffins provides the necessary anchor for Matilda, the light on the horizon that might lead her out of her miserable life.
On the darker end of the spectrum, Axelson nearly runs away with the show with a whalloping performance as Miss Trunchbull. Somehow, Axelson lends three-dimensionality to Trunchbull, imbuing her with a magnetic idiosyncrasy that makes the character feel fleshed-out, even as he provides the pantomime and mustache-twirling that is required of kidlit bad guys. As Axelson sings a song about the sacrifices necessary to throw a hammer in the Olympics, there is a sincerity to the performance that suggests Trunchbull’s thought process: “Obviously, we all wish we were world-class hammer-throwers.”
In an addition made to Matilda the Musical, not present in the book or movie, there is a throughline of Matilda telling a story to her librarian (Brittany D. Henderson): the tragic tale of the Acrobat (Jordyn Konopaski) and the Escapologist (Kyle Sinclair). As Matilda tells the story, not only do Konopaski and Sinclair act it out, but animations are projected on the background, lending a storybook quality to the show, and opening up the action to take us somewhere besides the school and Matilda’s house.
The wonderful animation also helps flesh out a scene wherein Trunchbull tosses a girl around by her pigtails, and a revelation about just how special Matilda really is. About that latter development: whether it was an issue with the sound or inexperience from some of the younger actors, it was sometimes quite difficult to make out the dialogue from the children. If there were any audience members who were completely unfamiliar with the story, one wonders what they made of the climax, if they couldn’t always track what was being said.
In any case, this is a zippy, ebullient production that does well by Dahl’s trademark mix of darkness and silliness. Word has it that the show is currently sold out, but there is a waitlist you can get on if you don’t want to miss the production that has people so excited. If you don’t know the story, take our word for it — you’ll want to have some chocolate cake ready for after the show.
WHAT:
Matilda the Musical
WHERE:
Tacoma Little Theatre, 210 N I St., Tacoma
WHEN:
Dec. 5-28, Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m., Sundays at 2 p.m., Pay What You Can Thursday, Dec. 18 at 7:30 p.m., ASL Performance Sunday, Dec. 28 at 2 p.m.
COST:
$25-$32
LEARN MOORE:
tacomalittletheatre.com
(360) 753-8586