Review: MATILDA At The Hobby- Hard To Hear, But Wonderful To See

MATILDA the Musical is based on Roald Dahl's beloved classic children's book, published in 1988. It's the story of a lonely, gifted girl who longs to escape the tacky, emotional wasteland of her family. The story has it all: a heroine with telekinetic talents, a larger-than-life villain, and a savior in the form of a loving teacher.

I adored the book. I loved the movie. I anxiously anticipated the arrival of the tour.

Sitting in the Hobby Center on Thursday night, I was so disappointed.

MATILDA has won many awards, including five Tony awards and seven Olivier awards. As I sat in the Hobby Center on Thursday night I wished I could understand the hype, and I mean that literally; I wish I could've understood the lyrics and lines.

It was an evening of watching a foreign-language musical, without the subtitles. I longed for a digital crawl across the top of the stage, interpreting what was being said.

Was it the sound system? The British accents? The enunciation and diction of the actors? Maybe it was a combination of all three. It is not unheard of for touring musicals to struggle with sound issues, and children can be rather mush-mouthed...but not at these ticket prices.

At intermission I turned to a group of people sitting behind me.

"What do you think of the sound?" I asked.

"We can't understand a word," they said. "We're actually going to leave."

Major sound problems notwithstanding, the cast is generally good. Playing the lovable teacher, Miss Honey, Jennifer Blood's smooth voice and soft maternal essence provides a nice counterpoint to the crassness of Matilda's parents.

Gabrielle Gutierrez gives a rather subtle and low-key performance in the title role. Gutierrez has talent, but it would be nice to see more expression on her face and in her body language. On the other end of the spectrum, many of the other young actors go too far, practically chewing the scenery, instead of infusing their characters with some natural charm and nuance. Evan Gray is a nice exception, though, especially in his cake-eating confession as the gluttonous Bruce Bogtrotter.

Cassie Silva and Quinn Mattfeld play Matilda's nasty and deeply dim-witted parents, the Wormwoods, and they crank up the energy of the show as wacky parents from hell. Silva and Mattfeld are particularly funny in a scene when Mrs. Wormwood gives birth, talking about her "ouchy" and complaining that because she is giving birth she has to miss her ballroom dancing competition. Mr. Wormwood is confused because his baby "son" does not have a "thingie". This is classic Dahl humor, quirky and appealing.

Bryce Ryness plays Miss Trunchbull with great nuance and fun. While this character is more humorous and light in the musical than Pam Ferris' portrayal in the film, it works very well and we love to hate this concoction of the villainous headmistress.

Rob Howell's set design is wonderfully conceptual, utilizing towers of moving books to create different locations within the story. Paul Kieve nails it with his special effects, which are highly appreciated in a performance where you can't understand what you're hearing and must rely on visuals to entertain you. It's truly an artistic show, with a lot of fun lighting tricks by Hugh Vanstone and creative staging by British director Matthew Warchus. The number, "When I Grow Up" is emotionally and visually breathtaking, with children swinging on swings in ways only choreographer Peter Darling could imagine. I can't fathom how fabulous the show is when the sound is good. Next time I'll see MATILDA in New York.

MATILDA will be showing at The Hobby Center from October 10 through October 18.

For Tickets: http://www.thehobbycenter.org/

Photo Credit: Joan Marcus

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