When I grow up… I would like to be as talented as the cast of delightful ‘maggots’ that took to the stage this May for the exciting, fast-paced, and truly memorable Lower School Musical: Matilda.
From the first moment the ‘revolting children’ took to the stage for the opening number Miracle the audience was entranced as the choreography, harmonies and direction took hold and the outside world ceased to exist. Throughout the next action-packed hour, the children sang, danced, flew, swung on giant swings, scoffed cakes, trampolined, hobby-horsed, became stairs, and jumped on chairs, desks and into the hearts and minds of the College.
Of course, the Lower School show would not be possible without the dedication of the Lower School tech club helping out backstage. Tilly Hall, Sophie Lovett, Alexa Neglen, Elyanna Oyediran and Seren Callaghan all helped to run a smooth and safe operation, through hard work and dedication, from start to finish.
It was as if Matilda, played with such joy and confidence by Daisy Gillespie, had cast her spell on all of us. The song Naughty was delivered with delight and relish. Daisy really hit the nuance of the character and her delight in pranking her horrible family. The song itself had the crowd moving their heads and feet along with the music, astounded by the sheer quality of her voice from the off. Daisy’s Matilda came across as the perfect mix of imaginative, creative and cheeky child genius who captivated us all with her range throughout.
Later, her moving rendition of Quiet had the audiences on the edge of their seats. As the song built, so did a frenetic depiction of sensory overload, increasing to an incredibly poignant, and effortless, “Quiet”. This shift in tone developed as Matilda discovered her new-found powers.
Of course, her performance was given great contrast thanks in no small part to her horrible family, played wonderfully by an orange-faced Violet Tobin. She dripped in malice as the shallow Mrs Wormwood, someone far more interested in salsa with Rudolpho, played with panache and sleaze by Ana Clara Rocha-Pannetier. George Stueck portrayed the short-tempered idiocy of Mr Wormwood with hair-brained, green-haired aplomb and Frankie Gent delivered great one-liners as Matilda’s brother, Michael.
A number of students were instrumental in large and energetic chorus numbers throughout, such as the brilliant School Song. The direction of so many students on stage has to be commended on the part of both actors and creatives; the desks, alphabet boxes and dances really took it to another level!
Bringing Matilda’s classmates to life in crucial fashion throughout were Ivan Benham-Hermetz as the perennially frightened Eric; Hannah McIntyre-Brown as the pig-tailed, rope-flying Amanda; Francesca Nicolosi as the gluttonous Luce; Kitty Mumford as Matilda’s bestie Alice; Francesca Weal as the adorable Tammy; Sophia Traynor as the innocent Hortensia; and Caroline Bartram as the rebellious Nicky. All involved did their bit to bring the horror of Miss Trunchbull’s school to life! We must also mention Brooklyn Abt who gave so much during rehearsals as newt-carrying Lavender but was ill for the actual performances.
One of the true delights of this show was the intimidating performance of the children’s headmistress – Miss Trunchbull. Brandon McGuiness oozed vindictiveness and danger, a young man completely transformed in voice and mannerisms as the antagonistic bully. We were all afraid of the dreaded ‘chokey,’ even in the safety of the audience! Brandon enraptured audiences with dance and song, none more so than in The Hammer with high-kneed dances, high notes aplenty, ribbon twirls and a human staircase – all excellently navigated by Brandon who marked himself as a young talent to watch with more senior productions awaiting.
Such high jinks were made more remarkable by moments of reflection and emotion that had the audience holding their breath at times. Matilda told stories of the proud Escapologist (played by Olivia Georgiou) and her love and confident acrobat (played by Maya Fraser), stories that were heard with a sense of wonderment by Scout Craggs playing the librarian Mrs Phelps.
Sarah McDermott perfectly portrayed the caring, yet nervous, Miss Honey. Sarah managed to convey this with such sincerity in the song Pathetic, adding emotion and nostalgia to her delivery and, during one of the show’s standout songs, wishing for a better life in When I Grow Up. This number was complete with three moving swings and such an exquisite sense of whimsy that it brought the joy of youth flooding back.
Punctuated throughout all of this was an electric ensemble of young actors. They showcased their joy of performing, their resilience to adapt during the rehearsal period, and their determination to put on a memorable show with aplomb.
Clarissa Hadley, Lucy Peer, Lila Pramroj, Maxim Read, Emily Pearson, Satomi Brocklebank, Tilly Craggs, Olympia Beumer, Adelaide Tennant, Nadia Gyamfi and Gabi Todd really gave everything in what, for a lot of them, was their first musical theatre experience.
None of this was more evident than in the sheer joy experienced in Revolting Children. They added so much positive energy that really helped generate and sustain the momentum needed for such a fantastically fast-paced show. They even managed to help steal a scene towards the end as nefarious gangsters, led by Lakshmi Sharma’s Sergei, taking revenge on the villainous Wormwoods!
As the story concluded, and with the reprise of When I Grow Up cascading throughout our very own Big School, it was evident that, beyond any doubt, live musical theatre is back at Epsom College and we are all the richer for it.
A hearty and Loud thank you to Miss Johnson as the Director, Miss Caitlin Barnett as Choreographer, and Mr Seb Johns, for leading on the music. Congratulations on all of your guidance and inspiration throughout the process and once again to cast and crew alike. Bravo!
By Carl Harvey, Drama Department
