Young girl uses smarts, humor to rise above in buoyant musical

Aprecocious girl with unsuspected powers faces opposition from apathetic parents and a cruel schoolmistress in “Matilda the Musical.”

Weathervane Playhouse will present the show, which was a hit in London and on Broadway, beginning Thursday in Newark.

“The show is so smart, clever and high-energy, and it gives power to these kids,” director Valerie Accetta said.

“Like all Roald Dahl stories, the underdogs win and the bad guys get what’s coming to them.”

Composer-lyricist Tim Minchin and author Dennis Kelly adapted the two-act musical — which in 2012 won London’s Olivier Award for best musical and in 2013 won four Tonys, including for best book — from the classic 1988 novel by bestselling children’s writer Roald Dahl (“Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” “Fantastic Mr. Fox,” “James and the Giant Peach.”)

“Roald Dahl stories are dark but couched in a magical world and treated humorously,” Accetta said.

“Her parents make fun of this young girl for being

smart and want her to watch television all day. She escapes her terrible home life by reading books and learning. She’s so excited to go to school, but there she faces the same kind of contempt and bullying from the headmistress.”

Logan Melick, 13, plays 5-year-old Matilda.

“Matilda is strong and independent. She likes to do her own thing, reads a lot of books — more than I can probably read right now — and wants to know more about the world,” Melick said.

When her parents mistreat her, Matilda responds mischievously.

“She gets back at them by changing her dad’s hair color and gluing his hat on his head,” Melick said.

Melick, who began performing at age 7, has appeared in five other Weathervane professional or youth productions.

“I like to bring people joy and show my talent,” she said.

As a Dahl fan who has read several of his books — including “Matilda,” “The Big Friendly Giant,” “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” and “James and the Giant Peach” — Melick said she leaped at the chance to play the title character and sing in “Matilda.”

“They’re all catchy songs,” Melick said.

All of the children, including Matilda, sing “When I Grow Up.”

“It’s about the hopes and dreams of growing up and what’s possible,” Melick said. “Maybe you’re smarter than you think and you can be who you want to be. Just because you’re younger, that doesn’t mean that you can’t stand up for what’s right.”

Luke Bovenizer, 35, plays Miss Trunchbull.

“Always sparring with the children, Trunchbull wants to keep the kids in their place, following the rules,” Bovenizer said. “Trunchbull believes children don’t have value and need to be kept in school until they grow up, because the world is for adults.”

Bovenizer loves to play villains.

“They’re flamboyant, stylized, larger than life,” he said. “Miss Trunchbull is a large, heavy woman, very athletic as a hammer-throwing Olympic champion, so she has a huge presence.”

The character typically is played by a man.

“My goal is to portray the woman, rather than act like a drag queen,” he said. “The challenge is to honor the role rather than make it a caricature of womanhood.”

One of his songs is “The Smell of Rebellion,” when Trunchbull, the gym teacher, orders the kids to sweat out their disobedient attitude.

“It’s a tongue-twisting patter song about how she can smell if they have a rebellious thought,” Bovenizer said. “It’s the best song reflecting her villainy, showing how she’s not in her right mind. … The children rebelling and standing up to Trunchbull is the fun and heart of the show.”