Review: MATILDA at Buehne Baden

The Stadttheater Baden (Buehne Baden) presents a superb non-replica production of the West End hit "Matilda", combining imaginative staging, dynamic choreography, and masterful musical direction. Andreas Lichtenberger shines as the formidable headmistress, while the children’s ensemble delivers energetic and nuanced performances, supported by outstanding adult leads such as Ann Mandrella and Boris Pfeifer. With its visually stunning sets and seamless integration of humor and drama, this production showcases the theatre’s artistic excellence and promises a captivating experience for audiences of all ages.

The Buehne Baden near Austria’s capital Vienna has gained a reputation as an exquisite venue for musical theatre productions. Under Andreas Gergen’s artistic direction, the house has managed to claim non-replica licenses for German-language or Austrian premieres of two well-known Broadway and West End shows for this season, namely „Wicked“ and „Matilda“.

Based on Roald Dahl’s children’s classic, "Matilda" tells the story of a neglected, but immensely intelligent girl who finds otherworldly powers within herself to overcome her hostile environment. Her parents – the Wurmwalds (original name: Wormwood) – are more interested in gambling and television shows than in their daughter, and even worse: The headmistress of her school, Fräulein Agathe Knüppelkuh (original name: Miss Agatha Trunchbull), constantly mocks, tortures, and belittles the children in her care. Matilda finds allies in her classmates, but also among the grown-ups: Her class teacher Fräulein Honig (original name: Miss Honey) and the librarian Frau Schilf (original name: Mrs. Rhelps) support the unusually gifted girl who loves to make up stories to escape her bitter reality.

Gergen’s staging is nothing short of superb. An ever-changing stage design of high valency (Stephan Prattes) that consists of mobile, spatial elements for micro-settings such as Wurmwald’s living room or Knüppelkuh’s Stasi-like office, and the static backdrop of Matilda’s classroom perfectly merges with seven main stage props, each mimicking one letter of Matilda’s name. The beautifully constructed scene images vastly exceed the quality of communal-level theatres of comparable size and manage to enthrall the audience. The cinematic and occasionally dramatic light design (Stephanie Affleck) and the perfectly balanced sound (Florian Carau) complement the visuality of the stage and its protagonists. Another highlight: The dynamic and nuanced, alternately funny or cheerful and dramatic or threatening choreography by Francesc Abós! The dance routines that feature in “Matilda” can easily compete with those of the original subsequent productions. Aleksandra Kica’s costume design finds a way to pay homage to the iconic film and its stage successors without failing to grant them her own handwriting. This especially becomes visible in the more eccentric robes, e.g., the clothing of the Wurmwald parents and Knüppelkuh’s caricatural attire, which is both utterly funny and grotesque.

Christian Frank’s musical direction is flawless, lending an epic undertone to Tim Minchin’s diverse score thanks to Bühne Baden’s orchestra. The children’s ensemble acts and dances impressively, with a precise stage focus, a sense for comedic timing, and contagious energy. The in-house ensemble convincingly augments the young cast as schoolmates. Well-known musical stars are booked in for the leading adult roles: Tertia Botha plays the librarian Frau Schilf with quirky, yet parental energy, earning her sympathy among the audience. Konstantin Pichler portrays a hilariously dumb Michael Wurmwald, leaving no doubt about his upbringing. Boris Pfeifer and Ann Mandrella as Mr. and Mrs. Wurmwald are the comic relief of this story: Pfeifer plays his character as a showman who loves to talk about himself and thinks highly only of himself, whereas Mandrella’s portrayal is a peak-level caricature of the fashion chic cliché. Both act symbiotically, and as an audience member, you just love to hate these two completely over-the-top characters. 

Timotheus Hollweg as Mrs. Wurmwald’s dance instructor Rudolpho and Beppo Binder as the Bulgarian mafia boss Zlatko make the stage their own with their uproarious performances. Andreas Lichtenberger’s monstrous headmistress is captivating: Each emotional outburst, each loss of self-control, and each verbal tirade demonstrates acting skills of the highest caliber. His interaction with child actors Tamaki Uchida, Antonia Hacker, Steven Ashton Ablog, and Luis Tatzber is a cinematic tour de force, owing to both Lichtenberger and his various partners: All the famous child-mistreatments from the movie are apparent in this production and play out just as hoped for: hair-tossing, forced cake-stuffing, spelling-lesson torment, and ear-tugging are all on-point in Lichtenberger’s virtuoso hands. 

Matilda’s casting is sensational: Next to Liv Perman and Tamaki Uchida, Mia-Leigh Botha alternates in this role that requires a powerhouse child performer. And indeed, she is! Botha commands the stage with charisma and authentic acting, great singing and dancing, and the ability to adapt to all of her various acting partners, handling a plethora of different dynamics seemingly effortlessly. An all-around fantastic performance of a girl who should seriously consider a stage career for her bright future!

If “Matilda” is a symbol of the artistic quality of this theatre, Bühne Baden deserves all of the attention of musical fans in Austria, Germany, and beyond!

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