MATILDA - a reflection

Matilda memories

The accreditation lanyard has been hung up however I haven't quite put away memorabilia or closed the marketing notebook because there are still a few post-production tasks on the To Do List. Before I get to them, I thought I'd reflect on the season since I couldn't review it. If I had a dollar for every person who asked me when my Matilda review was coming out, I'd have enough for another delicious meal at the Hamilton Hotel Bistro.

Hamilton Operatic Society's last blockbuster show at Founders Theatre was Mamma Mia in 2015, and it was a massive success. The greatest comedic musical number I've ever seen performed was between Nick Wilkinson (Bill) and Lisa Wiles (Rosie) in Mamma Mia. Hundreds of shows later, and there has never been anything as hilarious as those two hitting it off at the wedding. Nick's "Dad dance moves" and Lisa's high-heeled tottery pursuit of him through the pews while belting "Take A Chance" was priceless.

In the intervening years Ham Op rolled out shows and performances at Claudelands Arena, Clarence St Theatre, The Meteor and the Hamilton Arts Festival. The Society survived but without a spiritual home. During that period, the Te Kawau Toi | Wintec Bachelor of Music and Performing Arts degree established by David Sidwell started producing world class performers. Whenever I had the opportunity, I would regale the students and graduates about the good old days of Ham Op shows at Founders with over a thousand attendees per performance.

A date calculator has computed the intervening time between the closing of Mamma Mia at Founders Theatre on 4 July 2015 and the opening of Matilda at BNZ Theatre on 27 June 2026 as ten years, 11 months and 23 days.

Pack-in at BNZ Theatre

From a technical and production point of view, the BNZ Theatre is tremendous. There are a mix of dressing rooms and dressing suites, a beautiful green room, plenty of places to store things, space galore in the wings, upstage and backstage. The airy and bright public areas, separate box office and merchandise stand, and views inside and outside are superb. The multi-tiered auditorium with cosy thick drapes and stunning joinery are awe-inspiring.

Hamilton Operatic under the direction of David Sidwell is known for exceptionally high production values. No decisions are made lightly, and every person involved understands that every cog in the wheel, no matter how seemingly small, is crucial in turning out finely tuned product. So it was with Matilda.

Matilda Production Desk. Photo: Ray Powell

Highlights during production week included dinner with the creative team upstairs (I still struggle to think of Victoria Street as above the auditorium); the SFX meetings at 6:30pm; spending massive amounts of time with my theatre BFFs; watching the next generation of performers flourish; making brand new friends; the rollout of the marketing campaign and resulting ticket sales; and hanging out with BNZ Theatre staff.

Highlights of the show itself were the casting; the "When I Grow Up" scene; the magic - Amanda being tossed like an Olympic hammer, Bruce demolishing chocolate cake and covering himself in icing, the cup tipping over upon Matilda's stare; and the movement of large set pieces on and off stage by a variety of means.

Friday 26 June was my marketingy-est day ever collecting the souvenir programmes, collecting the promo wall, judging a colouring competition, rolling out content, attending the preview performance, etc, etc, etc

The Matilda set, costumes and props have been packed out and are on their way to the next destination. They say there's no rest for the Wicked, so I have some ideas percolating. Several of these ideas are show related, a few are show-adjacent. In the first instance, I'm looking forward to reading some books... 

 If you had anything to do with Matilda including as an audience member, thank you. Your support meant the world. Someone commented on a post that Matilda was “the talk of the town.” That made my week as that’s how it used to be in the olden days at Founders. Hamilton Operatic Society showed a new generation of performers and theatre patrons what it is capable of when endless creativity, incredible talent and hard work combine.

Thank you, Hamilton Operatic Society, BNZ Theatre, and Matilda for the opportunity and memories.

Assembling the promo wall

P.S. I'm sure my own life inspired a couple of lines in the show:

Miss Trunchbull to Miss Honey: "You believe in kindness and fluffiness and books and stories." Um, yes. That's 1,000% me.

Kids: "I will eat sweets every day on the way to work, and I will go to bed late every night." Also, me.