The musical follows Matilda, a young intelligent girl with wit, and psychokinetic powers.
Playing the main role of Matilda are 10-year-old Samantha Douglas from Twyford, 11-year-old Effie Palfreman from Waipukurau, and 12-year-old Bethany Addis from Puketapu.
Rather than sharing the stage each night, each of them will take turns at playing the titular character throughout the show’s run.
All three actors are big fans of the character.
“I’ve always been a fan of Matilda, fascinated by it,” Effie said.
“I like that Matilda’s really smart and she loves books, because I really love books as well,” Bethany said.
“I like how she’s cheeky but also stands up for herself and others,” added Samantha.
The need for three actors to play the same role is because of the musical’s demanding schedule, which includes 11 performances in total, sometimes with two performances in one day.
During the performances, one Matilda will be on stage while another one waits in the theatre’s wings as back-up, while the third Matilda enjoys time off.
All three thespians are big fans of Dahl’s novel and the 1996 film adaptation, but it will be Samantha and Bethany’s first time treading the boards in front of an audience.
“When I’m on stage, I feel like a whole different person. Out of performing, I feel like I’m really quiet, but when performing, I’m like super loud,” Samantha said.
“It’s going to be a fun experience,” added Bethany.
“I’m not really good with social things, so this has really helped me with that.”
The actors have been undergoing nine to 11 hours of rehearsals a week to prepare for the show run, which all three have enjoyed, but said it can be tiring.
A standout song for all three actors from the show is Bruce, where the character Bruce Bogtrotter is forced to eat a whole chocolate cake after being caught stealing from the evil headmistress Miss Trunchbull.
The actor playing Bruce Bogtrotter will enjoy a whole chocolate cake to themselves while the rest of the cast sings on in support.
All three actors said they encouraged people to attend at least one performance of the show.
“People should come and see Matilda because of the amazing cast we have and the amazing singing and dancing and how fun the show is,” Effie said.
“There are some good laughs in there, but it’s also quite an emotional show,” Samantha said.
“It’s a really talented cast and it’s really, really cool to work with them - even cooler to watch them,” Bethany said.
Tickets for Matilda The Musical are on sale now on the Napier Municipal Theatre website.
Jack Riddell is a multimedia journalist with Hawke’s Bay Today and has worked in radio and media in Auckland, London, Berlin, and Napier.
