Middle Schoolers “Revolt” in Spring Musical Matilda Jr.
They may be “revolting children living in revolting times,” but the Middle School’s performance of Matilda Jr. caused more of an uproar of applause than an uprising in the audience. Based on the beloved book of the same name, the musical follows a remarkable little girl named Matilda as she navigates neglectful parents and a vicious head mistress, all while exploring her newfound telepathy.
The show opens with Matilda (Katherine Azano ’29) coping with her incompetent and discouraging parents by pranking her dad and reading. Matilda finally escapes her parents and days filled with ridicule by going to school, only to learn about the authoritative and abusive headmistress Agatha Trunchbull (Siran Arakelian ’29). Despite the constant threat of Miss Trunchbull’s chokey, Matilda thrives in school thanks to her caring teacher, Miss Honey (Josie Ruiz ’29).
The students eventually revolt against the Trunchbull. Matilda discovers that she can move objects with her eyes, opening a new world of possibilities to fight back against their headmistress. Confiding in Miss Honey about her newfound abilities, she discovers that Miss Honey is Miss Trunchbull’s niece and that the headmistress likely murdered Miss Honey’s dad. Concocting a plan, Matilda uses her telepathy to move the chalk on the chalkboard at school the next day, threatening the Trunchbull as the ghost of Miss Honey’s dad, causing Agatha to flee and freeing the children.
In a tale of perseverance and overcoming tyranny, the cast provided an hour of entertainment through the snappy beats, inventive choreography, and acting prowess of every student on stage. Siran Arakelian ’29 provided a truly malicious performance as the Trunchbull, while conversely, Katherine Azano ’29 portrayed the plucky and whip-smart Matilda. The supporting cast of characters only added to the show, from Matilda’s self-proclaimed best friend Lavender (Georgia West ’29) to the cake-loving Bruce (Eli Kesselheim ’29), every student provided an important element to making this musical a pleasure to watch on the Big Room stage.
Thank you to director Christa Crewdson and music directors Kathi Gellar and Rylee Allen for making this delightful performance possible.
