‘Matilda’ musical at Royal Oak’s Stagecrafters is both ‘fun and energetic’
Roald Dahl's classic children's story “Matilda” will be brought to life on-stage in “Matilda the Musical,” coming to Stagecrafters' Baldwin Theatre in Royal Oak April 7-23.
It's a tale about the power of imagination to make dreams come true.
“‘Matilda' is a fun and energetic show, but also very touching and sometimes sad and scary,” says director Theresa Williams, a Clawson resident. “I wanted to transition my experience working with the youth theatre program onto the main stage, and a family-friendly show with kids in the cast was a perfect fit.”
Williams, 33, has been involved with Stagecrafters since 2001, when she joined the Youth Theatre. Since then, she's worked in almost every area, including props, run crew, set design, construction and painting, sound, spotlight, stage managing, producing and directing.
“Matilda” is roughly the 60th Stagecrafters production she's worked on in some capacity. While she has co-directed and directed some Stagecrafters shows and youth theatre productions, “Matilda” is special, because it's her true main stage directorial debut.
“I was lucky enough to be able to see ‘Matilda the Musical' twice when it came through Detroit in 2016, once as an audience member and once from the stage manager's desk backstage, and absolutely loved it,” she says of picking the show.
“‘Matilda' inspires a sense of empowerment, and reminds audiences of the child we all have inside of us,” she added, “and that you have the strength to do anything.”
Cora Steiger plays the role of Matilda and brings a “big ball of energy and enthusiasm in a tiny body” to the role.
“She perfectly captures Matilda's zest for learning, friendship and imagination, and has a powerhouse voice to boot,” Williams said. “Matilda is a big role for any actor to take on regardless of age, and I am constantly amazed at her talent and dedication. Cora is the epitome of ‘even if you're little you can do a lot.'”
Williams says the heart of Stagecrafters is its people.
“I love being involved with Stagecrafters because of the friendships that I've made over the years,” she said. “From working on shows I have become more confident and outgoing and have grown creatively.”
When it comes to this production, she's “most looking forward to the moment that all of the design elements come together,” Williams said. “I have been planning this specific production of ‘Matilda' for over three years and I can't wait to finally see what's been in my head appear on stage.”
Roald Dahl’s “Matilda the Musical” runs April 7-23 at Stagecrafters’ Baldwin Theater, 415 S Lafayette Ave., Royal Oak. Tickets are $35 for Friday, Saturday and Sunday performances and $25 for Thursday night performances. For more information about the production or to purchase tickets, visit stagecrafters.org.