Photo Credit: Paul Ruffolo
Roald Dahl’s story Matilda is the tale of a young person’s triumph, how her wisdom and tenacity thwarts the folly of adults. The opening night of First Stage’s Matilda The Musical found Reese Bell in the title role leading the “Diligent” cast (A second cast, “Determined,” will rotate performances and there will be three lead actresses alternating the role of Matilda Wormwood throughout the production’s run.)
Using the Todd Wehr Theater’s three-quarter round stage, littered with oversized alphabet blocks and keywords written on the back-wall chalkboard, we are offered hints that knowledge is important to Matilda. Her father (a hilariously over-the-top Jackson Evans) goes out of his way to let his daughter know he doesn’t think too much of her voracious reading habits. He also fails to notice that she is a girl. Then again, he also fails at being a used car salesman.
At school the students are bullied by headmistress Miss Trunchbull, a former hammer throw champion, but Matilda finds a compassionate ally in her teacher Miss Honey. Matilda also begins making up a story she tells Mrs. Phelps, the school librarian, about a fantastical couple who are acrobats and intent on having a child. The second act opens with Matilda’s father apologizing for all the talk of reading with a song proclaiming he learned everything from television. It also includes a witty bit of audience interaction. By this point, the seeds of rebellion have been sown with an offhand comment he made to Matilda about punishing people.
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We learn that, in addition to diligence and determination, Matilda’s skillset includes telekinesis, the ability to move objects with her eyes. This comes in handy when battling Trunchbull. We also learn that Trunchbull is Miss Honey’s step-aunt who may have murdered her father in order to get his estate, and that the baby in the acrobatic couple’s story is actually Miss Honey.
The students’ final act, a mutinous spelling bee, sends Trunchbull over the edge and she flees. Miss Honey learns her parents will has been found and the house is turned over to her, no longer the property of Trunchbull. The First Stage production includes 20 songs, some choreographed like heavy traffic through a roundabout with the 14 student cast. The performance was backed by a three-piece orchestra. At over two hours with an intermission, Matilda kept the young audience entertained and included a short Q&A afterward.
Through Feb. 24 at Marcus Center’s Todd Wehr Theater, 123 E. State St. For tickets visit firststage.org or call 414-286-4936.
