Colfax High School musical “Matilda” to be performed March 17 – 19
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By LeAnn R. Ralph
COLFAX — This year’s Colfax High School musical is “Matilda” and will be performed March 17, 18 and 19.
“Matilda” is the story of a little girl with telekinetic powers who is sent off to a boarding school where there is an evil headmistress, Miss Trunchbull.
The original novel, published in 1988, is by Roald Dahl. The story has since been made into a screenplay and then a movie.
“I was looking at the genres we had done in years past. ‘Catch Me if You Can’ (last year’s production) was very serious in tone and had a deep message, I think. I wanted to do something less serious and more fun and light-hearted,” said Derek Westholm, CHS music teacher and band director as well as director of the high school musical.
“I wanted to do something to feature our girls more. We’ve had great opportunities for girls in the past, but not really as a lead role. Frank Abignail was the main character last year with two other male leads. The year before that, Shrek and Donkey. I wanted to do something that gave a lot of opportunities to our female actresses,” he said.
The major roles for the young ladies are Matilda, her mother, Mrs. Wormwood, and Matilda’s teacher, Miss Honey.
Agatha Trunchbull also is a major character, except in this particular production, Trunchbull is being played by one of the actors in the Colfax Drama Club rather than an actress.
“I wanted to challenge the kids. The British accent is a big undertaking, to make it consistent. I wanted to bring some variety, both for the kids, but to the community also,” Westholm said.
The cast includes 36 students. The last cast that was larger was “Newsies” prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Westholm said when he decided on the play, he did not know the movie was coming out on Netflix in December. The movie is an adaptation of the musical, and it “blew the door open” on the auditions, he said.
“Aydren Beebe is doing a great performance as Agatha Trunchbull. He was Carl Hanratty last year. He has had to work on a voice that sounds like a middle-aged woman, teetering on the edge of insanity, comically bad on stage,” Westholm said.
Audiences should pay particular attention to the British accents, he said.
“Aydren was interviewed on WEAU TV, and he said it was a big jump to go from being a teenaged boy in Wisconsin to a middle-aged woman in Britain,” Westholm said.
Ashley Solberg is Matilda, and “she is in high school, but she has to portray a much younger child,” he said.
“It’s a difficult show (to act in), but it’s one that’s right for the kids, and they are thriving,”
Westholm said.
Miss Honey
Jordan Johnson, a sophomore at CHS, plays Miss Honey, Matilda’s teacher.
She was in “Catch Me If You Can” last year.
“When you are on stage, you are nervous. And that character lets you fully embrace how nervous you feel. It’s acting, but almost not, in a way,” Jordan said.
Jordan grew up watching the movie.
“I didn’t think (the play) would be fun. But then I thought back to watching the movie from years ago and how much fun I had,” she said.
The most challenging part of playing Miss Honey is the accent.
“It’s not too difficult, but it’s difficult to remember to have an accent … I speak in a British accent a lot when I’m not in play practice so I get it,” Jordan said.
Watching the Broadway musical and listening to the movie soundtracks “really helps with the accent, especially for the singing,” she said.
Mrs. Wormwood
Ava Sedivy, also a CHS sophomore, play’s Matilda’s mother, Mrs. Wormwood.
“I have been in the (school) musical since fourth grade. I like the families I have met throughout. It’s just one big happy thing we all do. I enjoy performing. And I get to act like someone who is crazy. It’s interesting,” she said.
One thing Ava really likes about her character is, “She has tall, pink, really sparkly go-go boots!”
Mr. Wormwood
David Paulson, a sophomore at CHS, plays Mr. Wormwood, Matilda’s father.
“He thinks he’s super-smart, but he’s not. It’s kind of painful to play him sometimes,” David said.
“I’ve been in plays since 5th grade, and I just haven’t stopped. I don’t do a whole lot for sports, and I really enjoy it. The connections. It’s so great this year to have the new actors and the new faces. We’ve got some great talent,” he said.
“Mr. Wormwood is a ‘ditz.’ And there are some stunts I have to pull off. It’s what the role calls for. It’s a lot of repetitiveness and fast talking. He’s a swindler, a car salesman. He’s always trying to sell something. He tries to auction off the baby (Matilda). The whole plot for him is he’s trying to sell his cars. And he does, but it backfires on him later in the show,” David said.
What David likes best about his character is no choreography.
“Kayla does a great job (on choreography) but I’ve never been a good dancer. Every year I dread the choreography, and this year I lucked out. Which is a good thing, considering my knee … I can concentrate on playing the character,” David said.
Paulson was wearing a knee brace.
Unlike basketball or football, where the players have many games to play in the season, “we get four performances … with the amount of time we spend on (the rehearsals), but then that makes each show just that much more special,” he said.
Rudolpho
David Lyrek, a senior at CHS, plays Rudolpho, an Italian who dances with Mrs. Wormwood.
David first joined the cast of the school musical in 7th grade. His sister and brother were part of the school musicals as well.
“Rudolpho has really interesting dance moves and brings out the comedic effect,” David said.
What’s difficult about the part “is how smoothly I have to move my body. He uses a lot of hip movements. I have to get every one of my joints to move,” he said.
Rudolpho speaks in a high-pitched Italian accent, but David also has to do the British accent in other parts of the show because he plays more than one character.
“People should look forward to the dances as well as the music itself. I’ve been in the musicals for years, but I never expected to do some of the things I’ve done in this musical. Jumping on desks. Odd moves,” David said.
“People should come prepared to laugh. The play is quite funny,” he said.
Cast
Matilda Wormwood — Ashley Solberg.
Baby Matilda — Rowan Westholm.
Miss Trunchbull — Aydren Beebe.
Miss Honey — Jordan Johnson.
Mr. Wormwood — David Paulson.
Mrs. Wormwood — Ava Sedivy.
Rudolpho/Entertainer — David Lyrek.
Michael Wormwood — Alex Rose.
Escapologist/Doctor/Sergei — Nathan Boesl.
Acrobat — Allison Schmitt.
Mrs. Phelps — Audrey Ebert.
Classroom Students: Bruce — Tony Sonnentag; Lavender — Gracie Burgraff; Erica — Olivia Schindler; Hortensia — Megan Christensen; Alice — Sophia Hazuga; Nigel — Michael Christensen; Tommy — Charles Fruit; Amanda — Alice Burgraff.
Chorus: (Parents/Kids/Big Kids/Dancers/Nurses/Russians) Allison Schmitt, David Lyrek, Willow Molde, Nathan Boesl, Gracie Burgraff, Audrey Ebert, Alex Rose, Jessa Rundle, Carmella Guillickson, Nathan Steinbach, Brenna Gibson, Sophia Hazuga, Olivia Schindler, Jordan Sloan, Daisy Sunshine, Carson Walley, Emma Pevan, Maria Roble, Beverly Beyrer, Courtney Hazuga, Elizabetha Heitkamp, Charlotte Dickinsen, Nora Kitchner, Loralynn Kragness, Abigail Schindler, Evelyne Mae-Slotevig.