They are revolting children! Living revolting times! They sing revolting songs! Using revolting rhymes! And you’ve got to get your tickets to see them do their thing— they’re stupendous, they’re great— they are REVOLTING! Only in a Roald Dahl musical could you use an adjective like revolting as a pride-of-place badge to describe a wildly talented bunch of kids as they bounce all around the stage with exuberant energy and smashing voices. Which musical is that you ask? Where is this happening, you say? Why it’s Matilda Jr. with the Cockpit Court Jesters! (That would be the for-young-performers program, previously referred to as ‘Cockpit Jr.’ of the Cockpit in Court summer theatre.) Directed by Liz Boyer Hunnicutt with Musical Direction by Patty DeLisle, and Choreography Rachel Miller, this delightfully revolting production will have you clapping, cheering, and chanting along with these children as they sing and stomp their way to rebellion.
If you think that the design team is just Able, you’ve got another thing coming because they’re the most amazing Beings when it comes to doing things like Costumes or creating and Decorating really wild, imaginative sets. Technical Director and Scenic Designer Sammy Jungwirth has fabricated a cheerful and sprightly, creative set that encourages theatergoers of all ages to activate and engage their imaginations. It’s a library full of colorful book spines and lettering that spells out the show’s titular character in a most jaunty and fascinating style. Assisted by Scenic Artist Laura Miller, the set is simply inspiring. It’s unique and clever and lends itself to the jovial playfulness that populates the show as a whole, despite Roald Dahl’s dark and twisty tale that unfolds inside the narrative. Supplemented by Lighting Designer Ed Lake, Jungwirth’s set is a true playground of the mind and gives the young performers featured in this production a quality, professional space in which to deliver an astonishing production. Costumer Robyn Alvarez does a superb job of putting together the uniformed aesthetic when it comes to the kids of Crunchem Hall. But where Alvarez’ costume couture really shines is in what we see featured on the Wormwood Adults. Mr. Wormwood gets a fitted bright blue suit and Mrs. Wormwood is wearing a crime-against-nature in chartreuse and animal print, which is a perfect match for the character’s personality.
Musical Director Patty DeLisle and Director Liz Boyer Hunnicutt and Choreographer Rachel Miller have put forth spectacular efforts into getting these young performers ship-shape so even the Trunchbull can’t complain. The sounds coming out of these boisterous kids are well balanced, well blended, and surprisingly smooth. You get this hearty robust musical sound thanks to DeLisle’s tireless efforts for every ensemble number. You often expect that maybe the soloists will be stellar or some smaller group numbers and duets will be really solid when it comes to children’s theatre, but DeLisle exceeds expectations and ensures that every musical number has a polished sound and execution. The same is said for Miller’s energetic choreography. You can feel the enthusiasm pulsing through each number, particularly when they’re marching with the blocks during “School Song.” There is an intense ‘aerobic choreo’ routine featured during “The Smell of Rebellion”, which is just exhausting to watch! And the dance-routine that ‘takes the cake’ (Sorry, Bruce, not that cake!) is “Revolting” where you can really experience the talents, dedication, and determination of this group of young performers tenfold. Director Hunnicutt has brought a tight sense of timing (shoutout to the stage crew Hermione Henritze and Justice Nious) to this production as well as something truly special. Matilda Jr. is a British show and each of those kids is masterfully delivering a convincing British-sounding accent and affectation with solid consistency. That’s no small feat, even for adults in community theatre, and the fact that Hunnicutt has managed to present it so fluidly in this production is very, very impressive.
Speaking of those revolting children— the ensemble bench is something like two dozen deep— and they’re bringing a revolution of talent and passionate energy to the stage every time they are featured. The ensemble (featuring Daniela Alvarez, Lily Anderson, Jillian Worstell, Kailani Bryant, Lanikai Bryant, Kayla Marie Camarao, Amelia Campbell, Lucas Castro, Pablo Castro, Meghan Chrzanowski, Angelina Ferris, Emily Foggo, Colette Halcott, Avery Hamburg, Rylan Hamburg, Lillyan Kilduff, Jordan Myers, Riley Sigal, Lua Smith, Savannah Tallman) is a force all their own to be reckoned with. They really do brin home that message during “Revolting” but also a more precious and precocious side during “Miracle” and “When I Grow Up” (both numbers that are truncated for the ‘junior’ version of the show, but the message is still clear through their performances!) Jillian Worstell and Lily Anderson stand out as the Escapologist and Acrobat, respectively, doing uniquely crafted dance-moves for their portion of the story while Pablo Castro gets to play the monosyllabic character of Michael, the “wanted” Wormwood child. Castro is hilarious, despite having extremely limited lines; his comic timing is stellar and he really earns those laughs from the audience.
An ensemble in their own right— the ‘named children’ of Crunchem Hall give quite the series of performances as well. Colton Roberts (Bruce), Gracie Roberts (Lavender), Ronald Gusso (Nigel), Caroline Anderson (Amanda), Selena Mason (Eric), Noah Anderson (Tommy), Wren Smith (Alice), Lilah Peinado (Hortensia) are the bunch featured in various classroom scenes and can be heard as the ‘younger students’ during “School Song” and “Chokey Chant.” Ronald Gusso is too adorable for words when he’s describing the horrific experience that is “Chokey.” And then there’s Gracie Roberts who is a quirky little spark when it comes to playing Lavender. Colton Roberts is phenomenal standout in his role as Bruce. His little confession about Trunchbull’s cake is just the tip of the iceberg, and while eponymous number “Bruce” is more about him (and that totally amazing magical cake, which is on par with the magical chalkboard and other brilliant illusions fabricated into this show by Technical Director Sammy Jungwirth) you get plenty of opportunities to hear Roberts’ stellar vocals throughout the performance.
Mr. and Mrs. Wormwood (Linda Tamia Brown and Natalie Heer) are heightened caricatures of horrible, terrible, nasty, awful, no-good, very-bad parents. Brown is consistently blasting angry remarks at anything and anyone in Mr. Wormwood’s way. Heer has affected that trashy ‘Jersey-shore-version-of-British’ that sounds like something straight out of East Enders and delivers that nasally squeaking whine with perfection. (The Junior version of Matilda cuts the primary songs that both of these characters get to engage in, but both Heer’s performance and Brown’s performance makes me want to see them ‘when-they-grow-up’ in the full-stage production in these roles because seeing what they’ve done and imagining what they could do with those songs is just extraordinary.) The pair are absolutely disgusting as vile ‘sidekick-villain’ style antagonists and they really know how to play the ‘baddies’ in a good way. Heer in particularly has command of her zany character and really has all eyes on her whenever she’s barking and snapping, and her intentionally hideodeous costume only intensifies this effect.
The giddy librarian, Ms. Phelps (Kaitlyn Bell) who often forgets that Matilda is just telling a story, is extremely emotionally invested, in a heightened-caricature sort of way, when it comes to reacting and responding to the stories that Matilda is telling whenever she visits the library. In a way, the Ms. Phelps character is the nurturing adult that Matilda doesn’t get at home. So too is the noble, albeit meek Miss Honey (Miranda Cockey.) With a simple but beautiful clear tone to her voice, Cockey shines in the role of the loving and nurturing teacher who truly sees Matilda’s gifts for what they are, and embraces the hope that the Matilda character brings to so many in this story.
It’s a toss-up between who’s running the show. The horrid, antagonizing, bullying terror Agatha Trunchbull (Clover Wellons) or the titular character herself, Matilda Wormwood (McKenzie Nace.) Both are a ferocious force on stage, in two very different veins. Wellons, as the bombastic Trunchbull is serving up almost Disney-villain level brutality; it’s brilliant and you get to hear her vocal prowess shine both during “The Hammer” and in the second act during “The Smell of Rebellion” where she really gets under the kids’ skin. Nace, as the titular character, has a little bit of a naughty streak and pluck and spunk and gumption all rolled into one. Plus she’s got a solid voice that is well suited for “Naughty” (and all of its parts) as well as narrating the various bits of the tale of the Escapologist & The Acrobat and you really get a sense of Nace’s vocal talents during “Quiet.” While Wellons and Nace face off a few times during the show, as Trunchbull and Matilda are wont to do, they each have stunning command over the stage (and others on the stage with them) whenever they are the feature character, and when they’re together, dueling one another for dominance, it’s a battle worthy of the ages. Both performers are extraordinary.
Believe me, when I say that you should C them, because if you don’t… well… then it’s CHOKEY for you! And we wouldn’t want that. Be sure to get a ticket if you can— word on the street is that several performances have sold out already— to catch Matilda Jr. this summer.
Running Time: 100 minutes with one intermission
Matilda Jr. plays through July 16th 2023 with Cockpit in Court’s ‘Court Jesters’ in the Lecture Hall of the Administration Building at the Community College of Baltimore County Essex Campus— 7201 Rossville Boulevard in Baltimore, MD. For tickets call the box office at (443) 840-2426 or purchase them online.
