Matilda (March 16th, 2014)

Matilda

Hi all; just a quick little review since I saw a new Matilda, and because it was an interesting show.

Tasha Chapple as Matilda

The new Matilda (or Newtilda, if you will) was Tasha Chapple. This was only, I think, her second performance. Since it was an early performance, then she can only get better. And that is saying something. The only thing I think she needed to improve upon was her facial expressions during the first act (particularly Naughty). With Naughty, she was singing her way through the song, not acting it, and didn't quite have the dance moves down yet. But that will come with practice. She has a very strong voice; not just her singing, but she enunciates beautifully, and her voice travels very well. You could hear everything she was saying perfectly (when I saw Lollie I found I was missing half of what she said). She was a bit shaky on "Anymore" in Quiet; she had the note, but she didn't look or sound too sure of herself. But again, that will come with practice. Her second act acting was a huge improvement, and there were flashes of potential in the first act; the hug with Mis
s Honey was very well done. She sort of paused, leaning forward, pulled back, and then just went for it. It was very effective. The other thing… she's not very small or vulnerable looking. If you've seen Matilda, you'd know there's that moment when Matilda is first revealed, and the audience all goes "Oh…" because she looks so small and pathetic. But Tasha didn't really give off that impression. She's taller than Lollie and Lottie but not that tall… not sure what it was. She just didn't look very vulnerable. But all in all, a very strong Matilda, who can only get better. 

I adore this Lavender, Emily Robins. She has so much energy, is so exuberant, and goes completely over the top, which helps Lavender to stand out from the other kids. Yes, Lavender is a completely obnoxious character, but Emily makes her hilarious as well. A very good performance from her. 

The temporary stopping of the show

Only other thing I want to mention about this show was the technical issues! Towards the end of "School Song"; mics seemed to be going in and out. Sometimes you could hear them, sometimes you couldn't. They finished the song, then the lights on the stage went back to normal and the kids were beckoned off the stage. Beautifully done; they marched right off, staying in character. The lights in the theatre stayed off, and the break lasted between five and ten minutes. Not a huge disruption, but by the time "Bruce" came around, the kids sitting near me were very restless. Later on in the show, during "Quiet", Matilda's stack of books didn't start rising when they were supposed to. It was only a few moments late, but still noticeable. Tasha handled it well; if you hadn't seen the show before you wouldn't've known. That's the other thing about Tasha; when she messed up a little bit, it didn't rattle her at all. She didn't rush to fix it; in that respect, she seemed very sure of herself.

Anyway, that's my review of Matilda. Based on Tasha and Lollie, the current Matildas are in great shape, so definitely recommend going and catching a show.