“Matilda the Musical” is Coming to Stissing Mountain High School

It’s nearly time for the spring musical.

The Stissing Theatre Guild will present three performances of “Matilda the Musical” at the Stissing Mountain High School over the March 8 weekend. The musical, developed and set in England, is based on the 1988 novel “Matilda” by Rolad Dahl and features music and lyrics by Tim Minchin and a Tony Award-winning book by Dennis Kelly.

The star of the musical is Matilda Wormwood (played by Coraline dell’Amore), an intelligent girl who learns to read at a very early age. Her awful parents (Leandra Costa and Logan Carey), and the even worse head of school, Miss Turnbull (Max McBride), present obstacles that Matilda overcomes with her wits, her astonishing ability to move objects with her mind and the loving support of her favorite teacher, Miss Honey (Brianna Blackburn).

Kevin Barnes, who directed the Stissing Theatre Guild’s production of “Mamma Mia!” last spring, returned to direct “Matilda.” “‘Mamma Mia!’ had a single set and the lines of dialogue were mainly a vehicle for the musical numbers,” Barnes said. “With ‘Matilda’ there is a developed story with several locations. The staging is more complex — it’s all fluid. We’re using different set pieces for shifting locations. There are special effects, such as magic chalk boards and glasses tipping over.”

This will be the first performance in a high school musical for the dell’Amore twins, Coraline, and Lily, who plays a schoolboy. Coraline thinks it will be more fun to perform for lots of people than for her family members, who sometimes offer more commentary than she wants. Both sisters are sixth-graders and like to sing and perform. Lily also plays piano, while Coraline paints and draws.

For “Matilda,” students from Seymour Smith Elementary School will be bused to the high school as fifth graders have also been cast. The decision to include them was made because Matilda Wormwood is supposed to be the same size as her classmates, but many of the high school actors were taller than Coraline dell’Amore. This experience will possibly be an advantage for the fifth-grade performers if they audition for the musical next year.

In this musical, “the story is told from a child’s perspective,” Barnes said. “The characters are exaggerated. Ashley Burns’ choreography is outstanding. Alec Sisco’s music direction is exemplary.”

“Matilda” will take place at 7 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, March 8 and 9. The Sunday performance will begin at 2 p.m.  

Tickets are $13 for adults and $11 for students and seniors. Wheelchair accessible seating is available and audio assistance devices are available for use during the performance. For further information or to purchase accessible seating, call the box office at (518) 398-1272 or email stgboxoffice@gmail.com

Tickets are available online at https://www.seatyourself.biz/stgboxoffice.