Stage Review - Matilda the Musical (Kitsap Forest Theater)

Stage Review - Matilda the Musical
Presented By: Kitsap Forest Theater - Bremerton, WA
Show Run: May 26 - June 16, 2024
Date Reviewed: Monday, May 27, 2024 (Opening Weekend)
Reviewed By: Greg Heilman

Every venue has its own unique challenges, for both actors and the creative teams behind the shows that we enjoy. Acoustics, lighting, temperature, these are all things that a director has to work with as guardrails within which a show is to be built. However, take a show outside and all of a sudden the number of new challenges increases exponentially, including sound projection, ambient noise, and the weather. The team at Kitsap Forest Theater has been meeting these challenges for over 100 years, working in a remote setting, figuring out how to move set pieces, props, and actors in and out of a venue, and how to make audiences comfortable enough with the environment and entertained by the shows they present that they not only are willing to trek down (and then up) a trail to get to the venue, but they keep coming back. Monday’s Memorial Day performance of Matilda the Musical, presented by Kitsap Forest Theater, had what amounts to a full house and a performance that was stellar, and not just for the variable conditions of an outdoor environment, the show is good, plain and simple.

For those familiar with the plight of Kitsap Forest Theater, last year at this time their future was a bit cloudy as they were dealing with access issues to the space in which they present their shows. Thankfully, that is all behind them now, and the group can get back to being concerned simply with presenting good theater, which they are doing three times this year, having added a fall presentation of The Crucible this September to go along with the upcoming Rodgers and Hammerstein version of Cinderella and the current production of Matilda the Musical. What Kitsap Forest Theater seems to do very well consistently is present shows that are well performed, entertaining for the entire family, and that understand both the limitations of its space, while using it to their advantage at the same time. In Matilda, director Craig Schieber has assembled a group of leads with the ability to present and project their characters in a way that can be as well received from the front row as well as from the back, which is both back and up from the stage, an ensemble that is full in voice and skilled at performing Guy Caridi’s choreography, and a creative team, including music director Mark Press, vocal director Ila Faubion Dreeson, costumer Amy Fancher, and set designer Leanne Markle, who bring the cast together in a way that tells this magical story in way that moves quickly, feels sized appropriately for the venue, and is very entertaining.

From a design perspective, the venue doesn’t offer a huge amount of flexibility, but Leanne’s set and Angela Templin’s contribution with props both work well in the space. The set itself takes advantage of the terrain on which the theater is built, predominantly consisting of two levels, the main area used to represent anything from the house Matilda Wormwood shares with her parents and brother Michael, Crunchem Hall, where Matilda goes to school with her classmates, to the setting for the library where Matilda recounts the story she has created about an escapologist and an acrobat to the librarian Mrs. Phelps. The second area, toward the back of the venue and raised a bit represents the office of Agatha Trunchbull, headmistress of Crunchem Hall and the story’s primary antagonist, complete with the “chokey”, Trunchbull’s method of choice for punishing children, a small area lined with sharp, pointy walls. Finally, tucked alongside the seats of the theater is a smaller, third area that represents Miss Honey’s house, the teacher that takes a shine to Matilda and becomes her only real friend and support in the story. The theme of the scenic design goes well with the story, with each area of the set being very well appointed, decorated with books and other associated props, and the storytelling aided by the creative use of large toy blocks.

The story in the musical is similar to the 1996 film “Matilda” starring Danny DeVito and Rhea Perlman primarily in that Matilda Wormwood is born to two selfish, self-absorbed, and neglectful parents with a dolt of a brother, while she herself is smart, kind, and a bit magical. The musical also tracks in that Matilda attends Crunchem Hall, run by Agatha Trunchbull, former Olympic Hammer Throw champion, more dictator than educator, and where she is taken under the wing of Miss Honey, the polar opposite of the headmistress, and who recognizes something special in Matilda, enabling her to take advantage of her intelligence and her gift of telekinesis. It’s a classic story of the little guy, or in this case girl, overcoming the obstacles of family and school to put herself on the right track in life. Matilda the Musical, originally with a book by Dennis Kelly and music/lyrics by Tim Minchin, differs from the film, not just in the fact that it’s a musical, but it’s also very English. Both are based on the 1988 novel Matilda by Ronald Dahl, but the musical is clearly set in England, told and sung with accents, while the film is clearly depicted with an American bent.

The music is a big reason why the this version, and the Kitsap Forest Theater production in particular is so enjoyable. Much of the credit here goes to music director Mark Press and the group he oversees accompanying the show, but I give full marks to Ila Faubion Dreeson, the vocal director for this cast. The show’s leads are extremely talented vocally. Young Maisy Walters as Matilda is a pleasant surprise with a strong voice and an ability to hit all of her notes while both maintaining her accent and also while performing some pretty active choreography. Her introductory number “Naughty” is the perfect example this coming together of acting, singing, and dancing. Maisy is a very good Matilda, and shows a good deal of confidence on stage, as well she should with how good the performance is. Note that this production is putting up two Matildas, alternating from show to show. Madeleine Rose (who is part of the excellent ensemble when not playing the lead character) is the other Matilda, and is just as good. Beaven Walters is Miss Honey and Cat Chiappa is Miss Trunchbull, both excellent in presenting their characters and both wonderful in their vocal performances. Miss Honey has a good heart and a helpful nature, the kinds of traits anyone would love to see in an educator, and Beaven’s voice is pure and exquisite. Cat’s Trunchbull is as repulsive as one would hope, but her soulful and bluesy vocal delivery belies the fact that this character is just evil. And while these vocal performances are all very good, where Ila’s skill comes to bear is in the performance of this ensemble. It’s clear from the opening number “Miracle” that this group is extremely talented, but in the song “The Hammer”, Cat’s fantastic Trunchbull is featured, however the standout is the choral performance by the ensemble, which is simply wonderful. This is continued throughout the show, this group’s power and harmonies under Ila’s direction are as good as it gets.

Another creative aspect that deserves to be called out is around Guy Caridi’s choreography. Again, given the range in age and ability across the cast, Guy’s work here is very good. Younger students have different steps than the older ones, but at no time does it seem like Guy is giving anything easier to either group, they’re just different, and when they come together, each group complements the other and they really become one unit. It’s also not so easy to dance on a dirt floor, and given the forest surroundings, that’s what this cast is asked to do scene after scene. And if that wasn’t enough, Megan Castillo, who plays Mrs. Wormwood, Matilda’s mother, does it in heels.

And speaking of the Wormwoods, both of them are good here, too, and extremely funny. Megan’s Mrs. Wormwood is overly made up, and overly self-centered, as is Matilda’s father, played by Tod Harrick. It’s not clear which of the parents is worse, but neither could be accused of being a good parent, or even a good human. Tod’s character is a used car salesman and is always looking for some sort of scam to perpetrate, much to his daughter’s chagrin, and Megan’s is more interested in her dance instructor Rudolpho, played hilariously by choreographer Guy Caridi, than her own family, and more interested in a dance competition than even giving birth to her daughter. Neither parent agrees with Matilda’s love of books, and this comes clear in the opening number of Act 2, “Telly”, when Tod sings hysterically about how all that anyone ever needs in their lives is a good television. CC Brewder plays Michael, Matilda’s brother, who seems to fit into the Wormwood family much more than Matilda does.

Another callout in the supporting cast is for the escapologist, played by Michael Sterling. Michael performs in this role alongside Alison DeGregorio’s acrobat, he’s got a nice singing voice, and his ability to stay in sync when his character and Maisy’s Matilda say the same lines simultaneously is impeccable. Additionally, this cast features a good number of younger actors that, to a person, show enough potential to make anyone comfortable with the future of theater in Kitsap and beyond. Their talent is showcased in “When I Grow Up”, and performances by Willow Schmidt’s Lavender, the girl who puts the newt in Trunchbull’s water, and Cooper Priest’s Bruce, the chocolate cake eater, are prime examples of the talent that is found throughout the cast.

Matilda the Musical is a fun version of a classic Ronald Dahl story, and the Kitsap Forest Theater production features a wonderfully talented cast of leads and an ensemble that is enchanting to watch and hear, with voices that fill up the outdoor space where the show is being presented. It’s a show that knows its venue and takes advantage of the space to present a show that is wholly entertaining and enjoyable for the entire family.

Matilda the Musical runs on stage at the Kitsap Forest Theater in Bremerton through June 16. For more information about the theater, this and upcoming shows, and to purchase tickets, visit https://www.foresttheater.com/.