On October 13,14 and 15th, the amazing 60 plus cast of Prana brought the Broadway hit Matilda to life, in its junior form. A dazzling number of children, dressed as English schoolchildren in black and white uniforms, sang and spoke their way through the story with convincing British accents. At First Congregational Church of Millis, every seat was bursting with parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, neighbors and younger and older siblings. It was so full that there was a demand to open the windows, with so many bodies in one place. Chock full of dialogue and songs, the show featured Nora Tracey as Matilda Wormwood, a petite ten-year-old who memorized an astonishing number of words and lyrics and sings quite well too.

Matilda is a girl with both an amazing reading ability for a child just entering school and magical powers, but her parents wish she’d never been born, insult her and continually refer to her as a boy because they can’t be bothered to learn otherwise. Her mother, played with a sparkling meanness by May Shade, only cares for her dancing, which is quite impressive, including a full split, and her dance partner Rudolpho, (Ellie MacFadyen) who is also very light on his feet. Her father, a conniving used car salesman (Dune Halstead) has no scruples and tries to fool the Russian mafia by turning back the odometers on old cars and selling them for new. Michael, (Tim Condor) plays the slow witted, TV obsessed brother with humor.

At school, Matilda and the other younger ones are terrified by what the older kids tell them about discipline. But Matilda’s teacher (Ava Morrison) is Miss Honey. She is caring, warm and sympathetic. Ava has a lovely voice, especially in her solo about “what sort of teacher would I be?” and touches the heart with her dilemma, which is only revealed later. On the other hand, Miss Trunchbull, the school headmistress, is cruel, mean and loves terrorizing children. Played with a crackling, demanding voice and menace in every look, Teo Perez has a commanding presence. She threatens any children she doesn’t like with the dreaded chokey, a torture chamber in a cabinet. Even when singing of her one-time glory as the number 1 hammer thrower of 1961 she sends chills down every spine.

As a distraction from the misery at home and at school, Matilda befriends the friendly town librarian, (Olivia Liberis) since she spends so much time there, and spins a enchanting story. This subplot tells of an escapologist, a Houdini like Sadie Bigelow, who plays the part with fittingly masculine stances and clenched fists, and his acrobat wife (Lauren Conder) who sings beautifully. As in a fairy tale, they only wish for a child. When the mean and cruel acrobat’s sister (Kaitlyn Hoffey, who projected very well) forces them to perform an extremely dangerous act, their one baby is born but the mother dies.

Through her cleverness, Matilda manages to thwart the evil Miss Trunchbull and send her screaming, never to be heard of again. There are moments of humor, such when fellow student Bruce (Victoria Edwards) is forced to eat an entire chocolate cake in front of the class, and burps in Miss Trunchbull’s outraged face. Matilda tricks her father, who derides her honesty as stupid, and he ends up with bright green hair. Mrs. Wormwood whines about how the “microwave dinners won’t cook themselves.” The children turn around Miss Trunchbull’s insult and sing of being proud to call themselves “Revolting Children.” In a rousing finish, the whole cast comes on stage to sing about staying strong “when I grow up,” and how it’s important sometimes to be “a little bit naughty.”

These songs are not easy, often switching from one odd time signature to another, and require two- and three-part singing, not a usual part of junior productions. But Joanne Hines, music director and accompanist, even with a week of being out with the flu, has managed to make the songs both joyous and raucous.

Roberta Weiner as director, amazingly keeps students from kindergarten through 10th grade fully engaged, with some of the older students serving as backstage staff and mentors for the younger ones. The choreography by Amanda Bigelow was varied, well-rehearsed and complex. Ronald Dahl’s fanciful tale comes to full fruition here. Bravo to all involved!