Matilda The Musical Casts its Spell Over ISM

Matilda The Musical Casts its Spell Over ISM A story filled with magic has recently visited Rosinka. Join Matilda on her journey through her challenges of life and constant struggle with the ever-menacing Miss Trunchbull. Worry not though, Matilda has a secret that will help her prevail. This secret is magically revealed by our talented Year 5 and 6 students.

“Aren’t children revolting?!” “Sniveling little worms!” are two of the many unsavoury utterances rendered by Miss Trunchbull, the scary Headmistress, in Roald Dahl’s ‘Matilda’. On the 5th and 6th of December 2018, the children of Upper Primary (Years 5 and 6) at ISM Rosinka brilliantly delivered their own adaptation of ‘Matilda the Musical’, to a packed Rosinka Theatre.  

The children worked hard for six weeks to learn their lines, cues and develop their acting skills in order to provide their audience with an entertaining 80 minutes. There were many notable performances which were inclusive of solo singing parts. With a script adapted by Katrina Ruffin from the book, Tim Minchin’s musical and the film, star performances were seen from all the cast including Erika Magomedova (Matilda 1) Alexandra Samoylenko (Matilda 2), Yaroslava Malysheva (Miss Trunchbull 1) and Elizabeth Babina (Miss Trunchbull 2).

A number of the cast also sang solo.  The songs were catchy and were a good mix of songs from musicals, as well as from the 70s and 80s pop world, entertaining all ages. The story of Matilda allowed the audience to learn all about how all children are special. Matilda wasn’t loved by her family, the Wormwoods, and it took her kind and caring teacher, Miss Honey, to help to empower her to have a happy life. This, of course, happened despite the formidable Miss Trunchbull who was the Headmistress of Crunchem Hall Juniors. She made the lives of the school children and big kids a complete misery by threatening them with the terrifying ‘chokey’.

All of the roles were filled by the confident and talented children of Year Five and Six from our Rosinka Primary Campus who worked as a team to put the production together. With an impressive array of props provided by Alexei Sinkevich and the Year Five and Six Assistant Teachers, Josh Gothorp, Emil Martyr and Ekaterina Kopyl, the production included various high-tech effects, including an exploding television and magic writing on the board!

Credit must go to Katrina Fountain for teaching the 50-plus cast some rhythmically complex songs, taken from both the musical and the ‘The Greatest Showman’, as well as to the three directors Katrina Ruffin, Jack Jones and Tara Wilson for realising a production that was lively, humorous, yet strong in its poignant message: That every child is special. Roald Dahl’s subtext – that school (and books in particular) matter – was forcefully brought home with dry irony in the scenes with the Wormwoods. However, it was the warmth of the Year Five and Six children who had gelled so well together that really stole the show. Well done to all involved!