Meet the Matildas
to teach their Australian equivalents how to put the show on.
Millar says that despite the production running for years in London’s West End and a successful American tour, the creators were still meticulous in their attention to detail.
‘‘It’s not like, ‘Oh, we know that works.’ It’s daily, the details are drilled back into you, rehearsed back into you. They let nothing go by the wayside.’’
It helps that the source material is loved by so many.
Millar read Dahl’s Matilda in year four and remembers being inspired to try and move objects with his mind during a boring maths class.
‘‘I loved that gentle superpower that she had, and I really loved the idea of somebody sticking up to an adult bully – I didn’t know that was a thing you were allowed to do.
‘‘It sort of gave lots of kids a healthy confidence about problem solving, I think, and knowing when something is discipline and when something is cruelty. All of those things live inside the work.
‘‘And all of Roald Dahl’s work I thought as a kid always felt like he was speaking to me as a grown-up, rather than an adult telling a story to a child. It didn’t patronise or condescend.
‘‘He definitely knew how to write through the lens of a child’s mind, but still with this hilarious eloquence of an adult, you know?’’
Millar says the stage show is the same. It’s a great leveller of the audience – suddenly, everyone in their seats finds they feel the same age.
‘‘I think it treats kids like grown-ups who are watching it, and it reminds grown-ups how to think like kids. So everyone in the audience suddenly becomes the exact same age.’’
Lucy Maunder, who plays Matilda’s teacher Miss Honey, sometimes sees adults turn up for the night, thinking they’re about to see a show for kids, only for their expectations to be turned on their heads.
‘‘I think a lot of people come to see it expecting it to be a kids’ show, and it isn’t at all,’’ she says.
‘‘It’s so intricate in its words and the themes are so universal and everyone just leaves feeling elated, I think, no matter what age you are.’’
Matilda The Musical opens at Auckland’s Civic Theatre on August 18. Tickets are available now from Ticketmaster.
The Matildas sit two-to-a-chair in the foyer of Adelaide’s Festival Theatre. There are more seats available, but this is how they have chosen to arrange themselves, squashed together between the arms of two chairs. Four pairs of small feet dangle above the floor.
The girls are: Izellah Connolly, 10, Venice Harris, 10, Anabella Cowley, 11, and Eva Murawski, 11. Since August 2016, when they began rehearsals, they have all been Matilda.
They are the third group of girls to play the titular genius in the Australian production. Sydney and Melbourne each had their own rotation. These four – native Queenslanders except Harris, who is from Tauranga – have played Brisbane, Perth and now Adelaide.
They will also be flying across the Tasman to perform in Auckland’s Civic Theatre in August.
After months with the production, the girls have all become used to the life of an actor.
‘‘It’s like a routine – get up, have breakfast, brush your teeth, do a show,’’ Murawski says.
The other girls fervently agree, nodding in unison. The testing times they’ve had together have made them very good at supporting each other.
They each do two performances a week, and have to wait in the wings two nights in case of some disaster. The show must go on.
Then there’s six hours of tutoring a day to keep them from falling behind at school, and most of the rest of their time is spent rehearsing.
If that wasn’t enough, on weekends they hang out with the other cast members. ‘‘They’re like family, they’re like mums and dads,’’ Murawski says.
That affection is shared by the adult cast members. James Millar, who plays Matilda’s antagonist, Miss Trunchbull, says working with the young actors is inspiring.
‘‘You hear all those old stories about, ‘Never work with animals or children,’ and all that – they’re an absolutely a joy to work with,’’ he says.
‘‘You can come in here and feel tired or run down, or like anyone at any time a little bit demotivated, and the minute you see how excited they are to just perform and what a magical experience it is for them, they just inspire you and lift you.
‘‘They’re so ready to be on, they know exactly what they’re doing, they know how to save things if anything goes wrong – they’re just, they’re just incredibly inspiring, and I wouldn’t say that if it’s not true.’’
Castmate Lucy Maunder, who plays Matilda’s inspirational teacher Miss Honey, concurs. It’s her first time working on a show with children, and she’s loving their energy.
‘‘They have just boundless energy,’’ she says.
‘‘They’re incredibly warm children, all of them, and they’re just so excited to be here, which is really lovely, and keeps it fresh.
‘‘A lot of people seeing the show just get completely blown away by how incredible the children are, and I’m the same. They’re just such great singers and dancers and actors. The future is bright for musical theatre.’’
The Matildas themselves have found the experience invaluable. As well as the skills in acting, singing and dance they have learned, there’s also what Murawski calls ‘‘life skills’’.
‘‘I’ve learned to always sort of like believe in myself and to not doubt myself when I’m trying to do something, and that I should just go and do it if it feels right,’’ Cowley says – a lesson taken straight from the production.
‘‘I think I’ve learned even if you’re little you can do a lot, because I’m really small but I think I can still do a lot,’’ Connolly chimes in. It’s a line from one of the musical’s songs, and after she says it they all sing it in unison.
Auckland will be the last stop for these girls. Then it’ll be back to school, to homework, to having breakfast and brushing teeth and no more shows. But they have vowed to keep in touch.
‘‘These are like, friends forever,’’ Cowley says.