Thursday, March 6th was the opening night for Kingsway’s spring musical, Matilda. Complete with exciting musical numbers, a captivating storyline, and a lovable and talented cast, this musical was one of Kingsway’s best yet, leaving the audience marvelled by the immense talent and hardwork.
The Roald Dahl musical centers around Matilda Wormwood (Leah Blatt), a witty and exceptionally talented young girl often misunderstood by her oblivious brother (Christopher Burke) and neglectful parents, Mr. and Mrs. Wormwood (Michael Schultz and Grace Lamonaca). Despite these challenges, she finds peace in her books and the sweet librarian, Molly Kathryn.
The story follows her as she navigates school and befriends a kind teacher, Miss Honey (Grace Palladinetti). This is where she meets the terrorizer of the school, the cruel headmistress, Miss Trunchbull (Mason Corey), and discovers her terrorizing activities.
As Matilda gains confidence, she uses her storytelling abilities— particularly a story about an escapologist (Landyn Pollard) and acrobat (Haley Blair)— to bring justice and create a better life for herself and those she cares about. The story ends happily with Miss Honey opting to take care of Matilda and be her guardian.
For Mason Corey, this show was truly a full circle ending. He started acting professionally at ages 11 and 13 as Bruce, the Matilda character known for his chocolate cake filled face, and this year, Mason knocked it out of the park with his role as Miss. Trunchbull. Mason also had a role behind the scenes helping with set design and production itself.
Grace Palladinetti, a senior playing Miss Honey, felt that Matilda is a show for all ages, teaching children advocacy. Her character is gentle and a symbol of happiness and bravery. Grace has been in a variety of shows at Kingsway and is extraordinarily talented. She plans to pursue a bachelor fine arts in musical theater, and, like her character, hopes to bring a smile and positivity to the world around her.
The show was remarkable, displaying the immense talent and passion of the students. Under the direction of Lauren Barr, orchestral direction by Patrick Carpenter, and production and choreography by Devon Duffy, the performance was not only enjoyable, but truly admirable, with colorful sets, showstopping costumes, and illuminating lights. The show truly came to life with the help of the costume team, hair and makeup team, lighting, sound, properties, and run crew, all led by different students who were dedicated to making this show the best.
Starting with the song, Miracle, and ending with Revolting Children, this musical’s unbelievably talented cast and crew has left an indelible mark on Kingsway’s theatre. Matilda will be a performance for the books.