Staging Tim Minchin’s much-loved musical Matilda Jr. successfully requires some magic ingredients: a gifted girl with a vivid imagination, a supporting cast of larger-than-life characters, and dollops of immense joy with a sprinkle of mischief. All of these boxes get ticked several times over on any given day at the St Kilda Road Campus Middle School, so it’s no surprise that the Adamson Theatre Company had everything required to stage a sold-out run of Matilda Jr. this term.
Ably co-directed by Media Studies teacher Karissa Robertson and Marlo Stephenson (OW2023), the show offered our young performers the opportunity to channel their heart and humour into this sparkling musical, reimagining the classic Roald Dahl story.
Students from Years 5 and 6 joined the usual Years 7 to 9 cohort to bring the production to life. ‘The older students really stepped up to help inspire those new to the musical process,’ said Karissa. ‘It seemed as though the positive themes of kindness, compassion and empowerment permeated through the learning process, allowing the cast to flourish within each of their roles.’
Having only recently started performing, winning the role of Ms Honey was ‘a dream come true’ for Cecilia in Year 8. ‘Playing such a heartfelt and complex character really pushed me. I loved Ms Honey’s nurturing and gentle spirit and how she sees the best in everyone. Her kindness really inspired me, both on and off the stage.’
For Fraser (Year 8), taking on the role of the villain required him to dive deep into his character’s complex personality. ‘I really enjoyed playing Miss Trunchbull because she has so much unexplained context in the story,’ he said. ‘I find it more fun to play evil characters, and they always get a lot of laughs.’
The performance energy the cast brought to the songs and the choreography made the production a delight.
‘This magical show made way for some beautifully magical moments of learning and growing,’ said Karissa, ‘and despite all the ‘revolting children’ jokes, the cast were far from it!’
