Hindustan Times
Review Monday may 27th '96
They have done it again: Lushin Dubey and Bubbles Sabharwal have turned out another Kids World wonder. Matilda a musical based on Raold Dahl's bestseller, came across as a sophisticated production, and one is not being patronising just because the performers were children between the ages of five and 19. The show at Kamani was both a pleasure to watch and to listen to, as a lesson for those directing children in theatre.
The story is about a child who has an above average IQ level. Where her father does fiddles in the second hand car business, Matilda's mother is a look's conscious TV soap opera addict. The younger brother fits into the scene with his very own idiot box. Matilda's preference for reading, her astonishing accuracy with there's accounting, and scant tolerance of the. mother's shrill nagging, combine to make life miserable for the precocious child. When reprimanded for not conforming to family habits, Matilda decides to revenge rebuke by resorting to tricks, like putting peroxide into her father's hair tonic, and glue inside his hat. She even manages to summon a spook!
Roysten Abel's brilliant sets highlighted the exaggerations in the script's approach to a real situation. If the middle class family TV dinner scene was a riot, the classroom scenes were no less pointedly satirical. Matilda's above average intelligence is appreciated by her teacher Miss Honey, the exception to the rule teacher. But Crunchem Primary is basically Principal Miss Trunchbull's domain.
Played to the hilt by Aniket Bhusahn, Miss Tranchbull had the house in splits. A boy playing the tyrant teacher for whom small children are 'little maggots', was a coup. The overstatement, angularities and inhumanity of a teacher who hates her job came across in caustic contrast to Deepa Dharmadhikari's conscientious concern for her wards, and in particular for the obviously bright Matilda. Tariq Vasudeva, who played Matilda is a bright talented performer. He is assured on stage and knows how to create his own space, and he has timing too.
As stories by children, for children should, Matilda closes on a note of optimism. With Miss Honey's understanding Matilda tries to learn adjustment, but not before trouncing Miss Turnbull at her own game. Miss Honey regains her inheritance snatched by Miss Turnbull and we leave the hall feeling very happy indeed.
No mean part in the generation of this joy was played by the music arid dancing. The six dancers - Kim Jain, Karishma Baijal, Mandira Bhalla, and the three Dubey pros Neha, Ilina and Ira - raised the production to another level of excellence with their synchronised, fluid and dramatic movements. Their interpolations as abstract thought, stage setters, and commentators was wonderfully inventive. Kudos to choreographer Ashley Lobo.
Babusha Joe Santana's music, dramatically rendered by Ankur Sabharwal, Tara Baswani, Surbhi Bansali, Sunanda Rao, Saurav Dutta and a band of back up singers, was as ever tops. It is easy to pick out names mentioned against roles, but in fact the entire team performed with ease and confidence. The play before the play was a cliche to be severely avoided in the future. And the duration of the show needs to be trimmed in everybody's interest.