Roald Dahl never shied away from the darker aspects of life,
even in his many books for children. From “The Witches” and “The BFG” to
“George’s Marvellous Medicine,” truly terrible things
happen to the young protagonists of his stories; his books provide a very real
sense of danger that most entertainment for children seems to shy away from. Despite
their propensity toward the grotesque, these stories never feel bleak or grim —
quite the opposite, in fact. This comes from the pitch black sense of humor
that runs across all of Dahl’s work, but also because the author so clearly
admires and respects children (at least those with a sense of imagination).
Dahl’s mischievous, exuberant spirit is alive and well in “Matilda:
The Musical,” now onstage at the Auditorium Theatre through Sunday, April 17.
Dahl’s novel was adapted by Dennis Kelly, and “Matilda” was
originally staged by the Royal Shakespeare Company in London, when the
production won a record seven Olivier Awards in 2012. A year later, the show
opened on Broadway where it collected a host of Tony Awards, though it lost to
“Kinky Boots” for Best Musical.
British comedian Tim Minchin’s catchy, lyrically verbose
score has a razor sharp sense of humor that gives the songs some real bite,
suiting the material to a T. “Matilda” kicks off with “Miracle,” a rather
daring musical number reminding us that many children are pretty terrible (and
that’s often the fault of the parents). As a group of clueless parents sing the
praises of their special, precious children, the kids demonstrate what rotten
brats they are, giving us shades of the spoiled tykes seen in Dahl’s “Charlie
and the Chocolate Factory.”
A witty and subversive tribute to the power that words and
stories to give to fight against the tyrannies of life, the story revolves
around the precocious Matilda Wormwood, played on the night I attended by the
marvelous Sarah McKinley Austin (the part is played in rotation by three young
actors: Austin, Lily Brooks O’Briant, and Savannah
Grace Elmer). At the opposite end of the spectrum from the children in the
opening number, Matilda is a bookish, brilliant 5-year-old who lives with her
odious parents, Mr. Wormwood (Quinn Mattfeld), a
crooked used car salesman, and Mrs. Wormwood (Cassie Silva), a ballroom dance
enthusiast.
Matilda also has a dimwitted brother (Danny Tieger), seemingly beloved by their parents simply for reflecting
their own stupidity. Her parents are bewildered by her fascination with books
and angered by her incessant moralizing about doing what’s right. They treat Matilda
with indifference at best, and contempt at worst, while Mr. Wormwood makes it
clear that he’d wished for another son and constantly refers to Matilda as “boy.”
With a home life as miserable as Matilda’s, the occasional bit of misbehavior
is called for, and she enacts her own small rebellions by, say, filling her
father’s hat with superglue. It’s a small victory, but she takes what she can
get.
Matilda has just started Kindergarten at a school run by the
fascist headmistress, Miss Agatha Trunchbull
(ferociously embodied by David Abeles), a former Olympic hammer thrower who
runs her academy like a prison yard. She takes great pleasure in devising
devious punishments for misbehaving children, and in her mind, the mischievous
includes anyone who dares to think differently than her. The school motto is “Bambinatumestmaggitum” or “children are maggots,” and it reflects Trunchbull’s attitude quite well.
Happily, there is one bright spot in Matilda’s life: her kind
but timid teacher Miss Honey (the lovely Jennifer Blood), who immediately sees
Matilda for the miraculous child she is. She also rather quickly gathers that
the young girl has gotten a raw deal in life. She vows to do whatever she can
to help Matilda, and the two develop a sweet relationship as their lives become
a little less lonely with each other in it.
Throughout the show, Matilda weaves her own tale, following
the adventures of an Escape Artist (played by Justin Packard, a Brockport
native) and his Acrobat wife. She tells the story for the entertainment of the
kindly town librarian, Miss Phelps (Ora Jones), though it often reflects and
responds to the events of Matilda’s own life.
“Matilda the Musical” is a wonderful production, filled with
wit and imagination in every regard. Minchin’s clever music is supported by an
incredibly talented ensemble of “Revolting Children” (and a few adults), though
occasionally the combination of accents, young voices, and fast-paced lyrics make
it hard to catch every word. The inspired set design from Rob Howell uses
alphabet blocks and bookcases to build a world in which words themselves are
all-powerful. Choreographer Peter Darling (“Billy Elliot”) contributes
inventive staging to match — the “School Song” number includes a bit with
students climbing the school gate that’s ingeniously done, and the sweet and
poignant “When I Grow Up” utilizes swings to absolutely magical effect.
Despite the darkness of the material, “Matilda the Musical”
would make a great, memorable first live theater experience for young
audiences, just so long as parents don’t mind their kids coming away with the
message that sometimes it’s OK to be a little bit naughty.
This article appears in Apr 13-19, 2016.
