Winter Musical a Revoltingly Good Time

This winter, the Millbrook Theater Department took on Roald Dahl’s “Matilda the Musical.” Positive reviews began rolling in even before the curtain lifted on opening night, as Millbrook faculty and staff took advantage of the dress rehearsal’s early start time to treat their young children to the performance.

But then tragedy struck! Several cast members fell prey to a seasonal flu surging through campus. The situation was so dire that there weren’t enough student understudies to fill out the cast. Fortunately, faculty member Owen Kelley ‘17, a regular star on the Chelsea Morrison Theater stage, stepped up at the last minute (literally, at 11 a.m. on opening day) to learn the role of the doctor at Matilda’s birth, and the show, as it must, went on.

Overcoming the untimely sickness, the cast and crew sang and danced their way directly into the audience’s hearts. Charlotte Withers-Clarke ‘27 delivered a dynamic and poignant performance in the role of book-loving Matilda Wormwood as she learned to stand up to the abusive adults in her life with the help of her kind teacher Miss Honey, portrayed sweetly by Emily Brien ‘28. Angus Watt ’28 and Ophélia Champon ’25 were delightfully revolting as Matilda’s self-absorbed parents, and Fifi Novaes Ferreira ’25 played a diabolical Miss Trunchbull.

Audiences during the three-show run cried, laughed, and hummed along as the cast delivered rousing performances of the hit musical numbers. Books flew through the air during “Telly,” students stood on their desks and belted out “Revolting Children,” and everyone took their bows to the final song, “When I Grow Up.”

The beautiful production was the result of months of tireless work by everyone involved. Students spent countless hours designing and constructing sets, creating costumes, and rehearsing—not even taking a break during the exhausting competitive bonanza that is Winter Weekend.

This year, Theater Director Elaine Lifter and Choreographer Zoe Thomas invited their friend Will Reynolds, a Broadway performer, writer, and acting coach, to be the guest music director for the show. Reynolds devoted many hours to the show, working with the performers as a group and individually to help them get their timing and pitch on point. He was impressed with the Millbrook theater crew’s ability and passion.

“They’re really, really talented, and so many of them have come up after rehearsal and said they want to coach with me and work on their college auditions,” he said. “There are few of them who really do want to go on and do this, which is super exciting. It’s really cool to see that light in their eyes.”