AMATEUR THEATRE REVIEW: Matilda Jr. - The Grange Theatre, Hartford. Northwich.

I love the Grange Theatre in Hartford (Northwich); this multi-purpose and versatile space never ceases to amaze me, and there really isn't a bad seat in the house. This time, the stage proper, along with the large curved auditorium space was utilised by Curtain Call Productions for their telling of the Roald Dahl / Tim Minchin musical, Matilda. This was the Junior version of the show - a 60 minute condensed and child-friendly version intented to be performed entirely by young children and teenagers.

I have only seen Curtain Call once before, and they impressed me then; however, they surpassed my expectations on this occasion. It was clear, right from the start and throughout, that every single one of a cast of seeming thousands were not only fully engaged in their roles and giving 100%, but they were also enjoying every minute of it too.

Costuming, lighting, sound, all helped in the creating of this wonderful show, the singing was of a high standard throughout, and the choreography (Joel Montague), was both exciting and creative, performed with elan. My only real criticism of any negative variety was with the use of the stage blocks. Directed by Gail Montague, it wasn't always clear why the blocks were being moved, what they were supposed to represent, and why they were moved sometimes twice by two different children in one scene change. 

Charaterisations were superb from all. Of course, Ava Gordon-Butler as Matilda was both symapthetic and relatable, giving a solid and engaging performance from the start. Both Ben Mather-Dodd as Trunchbull and Tom Green as Rodolfo had me howling with laughter for all the right reasons. Lydia Williams's Miss Honey was a slightly stronger and more "noticable" character than I have previously seen and this worked well; whilst special mention must go to Archer Armstrong, who truly made the character of Bruce his own. 

With a cast of 60 young people on stage, this must have been something of a logistical nightmare, but the headaches and sleepless nights of those in charge paid off. This was a slick, professionally produced, intelligently outlined, and extremely enjoyable production, and I loved every minute of it. Bravo!

Reviewer - Matthew Dougall
on - 14.9.22