Matilda (June 4th, 2014)

Matilda

Children's Cast

Just a quick little review of Matilda. It's a fairly consistent show (rarely do things do wrong aside from a few jumbled lines), but I was sitting three rows back this time and had an idea of a few things to watch for that I hadn't seen before. Mike Denman was on for Mr Wormwood, and Juliet Gough for Mrs Phelps. 

The children were amazing, as usual. Lollie is a very well-rounded Matilda. The dancing is definitely her strength, but she's got a good voice and convincing acting too. Because she's such a strong dancer, I was surprised that she didn't do the stunt in Smell of Rebellion (Tasha did it on only her second show, so there must be something else preventing Lollie from doing it). She also had an unfortunate mishap with her skirt getting caught in her blazer for most of "I'm Here"; beautifully touching song, but it can't've been fun to have her skirt tucked into her blazer (showing her Smell of Rebellion costume) the whole song. Naughty is Lollie's best song, but the strength and power in her voice has improved since November, making Quiet a strong song for her as well. As for the other children: Jaime Adler as Lavender was fine. She didn't quite have the energy and enunciation of Emily Robins (it was hard to understand half of her lines and she got her words turned around a few times). Oliver Loades as Bruce was mediocre until Revolting Children; his (bright blue) glasses kept coming down through the show, and he wasn't really acting. But in Revolting Children he was amazing; huge voice, funny dance moves, playing with the fact that his glasses were falling down. Eithne Cox as Alice seemed to be permanently angry for some reason. Ruby McNamara is a fabulous dancer. Gabriel Werb has the BEST facial expressions. He's absolutely hilarious.

Of the adult cast; Mike Denman did a good job as Mr Wormwood. Not as humorous as I usually prefer, but it was a solid portrayal. Juliet Gough was a mediocre Mrs Phelps. She seemed to be struggling to remember her lines and act at the same time. Mrs Wormwood was FABULOUS. I love Loud, and she has some amazing tricks that she throws in that song. Rudolpho didn't do the split drop on "Calculate this!" which was a bit disappointing, but oh well. Alex Gaumond as Miss Trunchbull was terrifyingly brilliant as usual, though he's still a bit too manly in his voice. Haley Flaherty has a humorous and moving take on Miss Honey, but her voice lacked strength and power during "My House", which is unusual for her. Otherwise, I thought she was incredible. I loved her reaction at the end of Bruce, and she makes Pathetic a more tolerable song. The adult ensemble in London isn't my favourite; they have a massive bearded man playing an 11 year old. Really?! An amazing swing (Katie Price, I think?) does both child and adult roles, taking Lollie's place during Smell of Rebellion, so hats off to her.

It was a very enjoyable show; loved seeing Lollie (even though I'd been hoping for one of the two I haven't seen yet), and had such a great time in general. Highly recommend this show at the moment; the two Matildas I've seen are particularly strong, as is the majority of the cast.