Review: MATILDA THE MUSICAL at Portland Playhouse

I just read the news that Portland Playhouse’s MATILDA THE MUSICAL is now sold out. And well it should be! This ambitious production – a cast of nearly 20, including 10 children! – is totally enchanting.

MATILDA, based on the best-selling book by Roald Dahl, is about the importance of knowledge, kindness, and being brave enough to do what’s right. Though it’s based on a children’s book, it’s certainly not just for children. The music is great, the script is funny, and this production, directed by Brian Weaver, features some of Portland’s best musical theatre performers.

Matilda Wormwood (played in the production I saw by 4th grader Georgia Krugel) is a smart, considerate 5-year-old girl born into a family where brains and kindness are not just not encouraged, but actively devalued. Her parents are always telling her to put down her book – she’s already reading the likes of Dickens and Tolstoy – and watch TV instead. (In one of my favorite moments, Matilda asks her mother, a salsa dancing Peg Bundy type played by Dana Green, if she’d like to hear a story, to which Mrs. Wormwood replies with complete revulsion: “Don’t be disgusting!”)

When Matilda starts school, she faces a new challenge – the institution is run by Miss Agatha Trunchbull (Susannah Mars), a former hammer throwing champion who has the same attitude toward reading and learning as Matilda’s parents and believes that best way to education children is through calisthenics and other forms of torture. Fortunately, Matilda is placed in the class of Miss Honey (Merideth Kaye Clark), who recognizes Matilda’s special gifts and is as sweet as her name.

This cast is chock-full of adult talent – Green, Mars, and Clark are at their best, as is Claire Rigsby, who plays the dual roles of Mrs. Phelps (the librarian) and a big kid at the school. Michael Feldman, Alec Cameron Lugo, and Austin Comfort also deliver solid performances as the other major adult characters.

And then, of course, there are the children. There are two rotating casts of 10 children, as well as three actors who share the role of Matilda. If this production were not already sold out, I would go back to see all of the different casts. As a whole, the children’s ensemble is so charming, and I hope this is just the start of many successful theatre careers. I have no doubt that this will be true of Krugel, who definitely held her own even on this star-studded stage.

MATILDA runs through Nov. 5. Although it’s sold out, there’s always the possibility that they’ll add shows or someone will have to cancel their tickets. Click here to add yourself to the waitlist just in case.

To post a comment, you must register and login.