![]() Slow Burn’s Matilda doesn’t have that problem. Take a bow, King Bell, Kaia Michelle Davis, Jaxon James, Jay Hendrix, Chloe Nicole Caddy, Gaby Lopez, Jack Rodman, Elie Rose Pulsifer.Ĭlifford Spulock’s effective lighting move along the scenes with Rick Pena showing his managerial skills as costume coordinator.Ī frequent criticism of any production of Matilda is the voices and lyrics get lost in the British accents. Matilda also features some of the most “children” who are honing their emerging talents. Slow Burn has been amassing a tight group of actors who move from lead roles to supporting roles to even ensemble parts, including Jerel Brown (who also is the dance captain) Kimmi Johnson, Nate Promkul, Casey Sacco, Nicole Kinzel, among others. Kudos to Pablo Pernia as the amazingly limber and versatile dance teacher whose moves garnered several well-deserved gasps. Stephens and Thomas have the more serious roles of Matilda and they are each generous and empathic actresses who make us care about their characters. Lillie Thomas exudes caring as Miss Honey. Newbrough, who has delivered myriad outstanding performances, and Cataldo are a hoot to watch, and their chemistry together makes us believe they are a selfish, bickering married couple.Īs the librarian with a taste for “stories” and a lovely African lilt, Karen Stephens would inspire even non-readers to check out books. Wormwood are wonderfully slimy, self-centered, hateful and just plain nasty. Always being on the verge of toppling over because of his prosthetic bust, Austermann is-fortunately-one scary dude with a steely gaze. We look forward to seeing how this young actress develops.Īs Agatha Trunchbull, Bryan Austermann chews up the scenery and spits it out as he terrorizes the students-whom he unaffectionately calls maggots-and Miss Honey. Khan channels Matilda’s courage, her desire for justice and her loneliness. but Khan also has stage presence that allows her to keep control of her role. Matilda, of course, depends on a solid young actress to play the title role and 10-year-old Saheli Khan nails the role. Phelps, who encourages her reading, and her compassionate teacher, Miss Honey. But Matilda finds comfort in the library, run by the understanding Mrs. So they won’t have to deal with Matilda, her parents send her to a private school run by the monstrous dictatorial and sadistic headmistress Agatha Trunchbull. Her smarmy con man father won’t even acknowledge she’s a girl, constantly calling her “boy.” Her superficial mom’s main concern is entering dance contests, not parenting. Her shallow, emotionally abusive parents hate her intelligence, despise her reading habits, preferring to ignore her most of the time. Matilda, based on Dahls’ 1988 novel, focuses on Matilda Wormwood, an intelligent, precocious five-year-old girl who loves reading and has a growing ability of telekinesis. Don’t be afraid to bring children to Matilda-probably half the audience at the Sunday matinee were under 12 years old-as it truly is for all ages. The Slow Burn production not only gets Dahl’s vision but does it in a way that elevates Matilda, appealing to children and their adult companions. Dahl’s subversive children’s books like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory are not the typical fare for bedtime stories. Anyone who’s read British author Roald Dahl’s books knows that his work is neither precious nor sweet but thrives on the darkest of humor, at threating children (and adults) with punishment and at eschewing happy endings. It’s a heady mix for a show that is considered a children’s musical but, at the same time, is more geared for adults. Matilda shows how a regional director-Patrick Fitzwater, who’s also Slow Burn’s artistic director-takes a successful Broadway show that also had a long-running road tour and makes it his own highly entertaining production that showcases many homegrown talents from South and Central Florida.įitzwater’s expert hand is in every aspect of Matilda, beginning with assembling a talented cast of adults and children who know how to mine the underlying themes of girl power, adult repression and the power of intelligence and books. Slow Burn Theatre Company’s production of Roald Dahl’s Matilda The Musical, presented through April 10 in the Amaturo Theater at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts, is a lesson in theater education. Saheli Khan is the title character who won’t give up in Slow Burn Theatre’s Matilda / Photos by Gregory Reed
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |