"I would say pretty much everybody can go see Matilda," says magic consultant James Lopez. "I was worried going in that it would be a very kid-oriented show for younger audiences, but after watching the chaos of everything in rehearsal, I just know it is going to be so much fun no matter your age. Everyone will find something to enjoy, especially given the small size of the stage; the intimacy in Littleton's theater creates an experience unlike any other."
Matilda the Musical is a rib-tickling romp through the world of a pint-sized protagonist with a brain bigger than a dictionary and a heart to match. Our heroine, Matilda Wormwood, is a precocious bookworm with neglectful parents and a terrifying headmistress, Miss Trunchbull. But Matilda discovers that she possesses magical telekinetic powers that she employs to confront the bullies in her life. It is a triumphant tale of brains over brawn, proving that even the smallest person can make a big difference.
"Matilda is extremely intelligent, but because her parents do not understand her, she has no one around her who tells her she is, so she is humble about her intelligence," says Ellie Plenk, the eleven-year-old powerhouse playing Matilda. "Once she figures out that not everybody around her can do as much as she can, she doesn't judge them for it. I also really like her magic, especially the source of her magic, which is how smart she is. People around her, like Miss Trunchbull and her parents, abuse her until everything kind of just bubbles up inside of her and she starts moving things with her mind."
Expert magician and immersive theater producer James Lopez provided advice on effects.
Courtesy of RDG Photography
Town Hall's production is Plenk's second time portraying the misunderstood dreamer, following a previous stint over the summer in Matilda Jr. at Parker Arts with Sasquatch Productions. Having immersed herself in the world of Matilda through books, movies and past productions, Plenk's connection to her character is palpable.
"I like how the book has some details that aren't included in any of the movies or the musicals," Plenk says. "But I also like how the musical and the musical movie have songs, because it helps to build intensity. It's also so much fun doing the magic in the show! The ones Matilda does with her eyes are the cup tipping over and the chalk moving, but she also summons the ghost of Magnus multiple times."
The magic in Matilda doesn't just stem from the storytelling; it's a character in its own right. Lopez, an experienced magician and immersive theater producer, advised on such effects as a character being thrown by their hair and Matilda's psychic abilities.
"Before rehearsal even started, the director [Steve Wilson] and I sat down and looked through different scripts, comparing the Broadway scenes with what we could do in the Littleton space," Lopez says. "I drew up blueprints for everything and worked with the prop designer [Erin Banta] to buy all the props that they needed to purchase to set the tricks up, and then I didn't touch it. I allowed them to figure out what their choreography and movements were, and then I came in the last week of tech to refine all of those moments and help incorporate the magic into the show. The magic tricks are there to elevate the experience more than be the primary point of it."
And elevate they do. From an ear-pulling scene that Lopez fondly calls his favorite to the intricate cake-eating trick, each magical moment is a testament to creative problem-solving and theatrical innovation. The thrust design of the theater, which congregates audiences around the action, presented a difficult challenge for Lopez, Wilson and technical director Mike Haas, who had to cleverly conceal each illusion.
"Everybody's right on top of each other, but a lot of the tricks require black magic and are usually done upstage when they're done performatively," Lopez says. "If you watch the Broadway production of Matilda, their moments of magic happen upstage. If we were to do certain things they did, like have a fishing wire connected to something, it wouldn’t work, because there'd be too much choreography and it would interfere. We needed to figure out a solution that felt seamless, didn’t require a lot of setup and could be repeated over and over. I think we figured out a great way to do the tricks."
The production team's meticulous attention to detail ensures that each magical moment translates as organic and natural, a feat made more impressive by the constraints of the intimate theater space. "It's very, very complicated," Lopez admits, adding a tantalizing note of mystery to the ingenuity behind the scenes. "I wish I could tell people how we set up, because that's more fun than the trick itself." Alas, a true magician never reveals his secrets.
Roald Dahl's Matilda the Musical runs through Sunday, December 31, at Town Hall Arts Center, 2450 Main Street, Littleton. There's a special performance on Monday, December 11, to benefit the Denver Actors Fund. Get tickets at townhallartscenter.org.
