Ross Zentner
Matilda is a smart little girl. She reads Dostoyevsky in the original Russian, which she taught herself from a book. Her favorite place in the world is the library, where she keeps the librarian spellbound with her stories. And her classmates sometimes wonder if there are so many facts in her brain, that knowledge will come leaking out of her ears.
Matilda is the titular character in Children’s Theater of Madison’s season opener, the breathtaking musical version of the Roald Dahl book, which runs in the Overture Center’s Playhouse through Oct. 27. This show soars — musically, dramatically and visually — thanks to a stellar cast, gorgeous design and the brilliant direction of Brian Cowing.
Much like another Dahl blockbuster, James and the Giant Peach, Matilda is a dystopian story of a child who’s not wanted, whose gifts are not valued or even acknowledged by her self-involved and superficial parents, and a school headmistress who tries to crush her students’ will instead of encouraging them to learn. With everything against her, Matilda perseveres. Her resilience and determination to “put things right” wins in the end.
Developed initially by the Royal Shakespeare Company, Matilda the Musical spent four years on Broadway, winning multiple Tony Awards. Now it’s a perfect choice for regional children’s theaters, since it depends on a cast of a dozen young people and tells a high-stakes tale about kids rising up against injustice and making a difference.
Like Annie, or Oliver, or Anne of Green Gables, it’s fundamental to have a strong lead in the title role, and on opening night, Tessa Ginsberg absolutely shined. A local sixth grader, Ginsberg possesses the natural grace, poise and confidence of a seasoned pro. Her strong, sweet voice makes both her solos and her long storytelling monologues crisp and clear. She weaves the show together effortlessly, with a spot-on English accent to boot. (Ginsberg alternates the role with Leena Rathgeber.)
Right behind Matilda is a talented, diverse cast of “revolting children” — some that make up her first grade class, and some who are upperclassmen — at the school that is terrorized by Miss Trunchbull (a delightfully sadistic Meghan Randolph). Dressed in a military uniform of khaki jodhpurs and puffy mutton chop sleeves, Randolph gives the deranged disciplinarian a ramrod stiff spine, a chillingly calm but threatening voice and a cackling laugh. And her brassy mezzo soprano voice ricochets around the Playhouse, as she delivers her numbers, “The Hammer” and “The Smell of Rebellion,” practically drunk with power.
As Matilda’s equally horrifying mother, Samantha Sostarich is deliciously shallow, in gaudy hot pink and lime dresses (accessorized with pink glittery high heels!). Obsessed with winning ballroom dance contests and looking glamorous while she does it, Sostarich’s Mrs. Wormwood is aided by her sultry, faux Italian partner, Rodolpho (the suave Sam Taylor). Her brash, coarse ideology is perfectly on display in her personal anthem, “Loud.”
Matilda’s similarly superficial and shamelessly unscrupulous father is played gleefully by Mitch Weindorf. In an obnoxious plaid suit, he dreams of ripping off the Russian mafia in a shady car deal and opens the second act singing an anthem to the value of watching television over reading books. The audience’s heart breaks a little bit more each time he addresses Matilda as “boy.” He is so uninterested in her existence that he can’t be bothered to get her name or her gender right, even after she corrects him again and again.
As the one adult who Matilda can really trust, Abby Nichols creates a beautiful Miss Honey. The tender-hearted teacher that every student yearns for, she is as gentle and welcoming as the pastel floral dresses she wears. In her refined, flexible soprano, she bemoans her own lack of courage in “Pitiful” one moment, then launches into a love song in “This Little Girl,” as she marvels over Matilda’s intelligence and steadfast spirit.
Director Cowing keeps the show moving with clever choreography for every beat. He adroitly disperses the classroom full of children in numbers that fill the stage and make expert use of the thrust. While their calisthenics under Miss Trunchbull’s stern whistle are exhausting to watch, their unbridled rebellion in “Revolting Children” is powerful and joyous. In the show’s most poignant song, “When I Grow Up,” Cowing even choreographs kids on three playground swings that actually fly out over the audience.
He also uses scenic designer Steve Barnes’s ingenious set to great effect, placing soaring acrobats on a rolling library ladder, and tucking Matilda’s bed into the bottom row of towering, translucent bookcases that dominate the back wall of the stage. Scene changes are seamless and most involve bringing on only a small set piece or two. Creative and occasionally outlandish costume design by Shannon Heibler also perfectly encapsulates each character.
Musicals on this scale are difficult to pull off for any company, but Children’s Theater of Madison has made it look easy. Go see this fantastic story about a little girl, using her brain and her superpowers for good.
