“Matilda the Musical” Opens with Joy, Energy and Talent

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PaliHi students perform in Matilda the Musical.

If a resident wants a phenomenal opportunity to see a Broadway-quality musical, with a 14-piece orchestra, amazing voices and delightful choreography (for $16) head over to Palisades High School.

Then, settle in at Mercer Hall and be prepared to be entertained, to laugh and to just have a great time.

CTN saw a preview of Matilda the Musical on Wednesday and absolutely recommends this show over the recent Netfix film of the same name.

Still humming “looks over books” and talking in an English accent, hours after the show was over, this editor realized how much fun it had been watching these really talented performers.

Director Cheri Smith said, “We chose Matilda because we found the story of this courageous girl, who overcomes such terrible circumstances inspiring. The children taking control of their destiny is so empowering.

“Also, the music and dancing is just so much fun!” she said.

But in casting, Smith hit a dilemma that many directors would love to have. The competition for the three top roles, Matilda Wormword (Willa Browne and Sage Denham), Miss Honey (Aurora Finetti and Lexie Palmer), and Mrs. Wormwood (Maren Carrere and Tema Ferrene) was intense.

The six performers have top-notch voices, all can dance/move and all look right for the role. How do you choose who to cast?

“These are some of the strongest performers we have in our program and their takes during the audition process were screened by a panel who felt that it was important to showcase all of their abilities,” Smith said.

The decision was made to double cast the roles. “We only do that when we feel that it would be a critical loss to the production to cast one over the other,” Smith said.

Sage Denham is one of the actresses who plays Matilda.

The musical is based on the Roald Dahl story of a little girl, with wit and intelligence, whose parents are the antithesis of helicopter parents. They constantly refer to Matilda as a boy and tell her to stop reading and watch television.

Her mother Mrs. Wormwood is a hoot and her father Mr. Wormwood (Sammy White) is hysterical.

Matilda is eventually placed in a school, where she meets a loving teacher, Miss Honey and headmistress Miss Agatha Trunchbull.

One cannot ignore the formidable Trunchbull who hates children. Played by Theo King, who has had leads in Mama Mia, Oliver and Avenue Q at PaliHi, his presence on stage as the grand dame, is impressive.

CTN heard one Matilda and one Miss Honey sing – beautiful voices. If the alternate Matilda’s and Miss Honey are equally exceptional, it makes it easy to understand Smith’s dilemma. The same is true of Mrs. Wormword.

The costuming fits the musical perfectly.

Scenes change from a library to a school room to Matilda’s imagination through a projection of images on a screen at the back of the stage.

With the cast, crew and orchestra, there are more than 100 students involved in this production. Residents won’t find a more entertaining evening than PaliHi’s presentation of Matilda.

The show will play March 17, 18, 23, 24 and 25 at 7 p.m. and March 18 and 25 at 2 p.m.  General admission is $16, students are $10 and VIP tickets are $25. Buy tickets online at click here.

Theo King plays the mean Agatha Trunchbull who hates children.

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