The cast of Tauranga Musical Theatre's production of Matilda - The Musical. Mitchell Preston is top centre. Photo / Media Masters
The cast of Tauranga Musical Theatre's production of Matilda - The Musical. Mitchell Preston is top centre. Photo / Media Masters
Teen actor and singer Mitchell Preston has become a “triple threat” after adding dance to his skillset.
Mitchell, of Athenree, is playing Tommy in Tauranga Musical Theatre’s (TMT) production of Matilda — The Musical at Baycourt from Thursday night.
The 14-year-old has been dancing up a storm as Matilda’s shy, timid classmate who is always trying his best.
“One of the biggest challenges for me in Matilda has been the dancing, but it has been so rewarding. It took a lot of work but now it has been one of my favourite parts of the experience.
“I love both acting and singing ... I couldn’t pick a favourite.”
Mitchell missed the chance to perform at Baycourt due to Covid-19 restrictions early last year. He was set to play Gavroche in Les Miserables.
His first show was Bugsy Malone with Waihī Drama Society and he’s done about a dozen with TMT and Wright Rohde Theatre. Shows include Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Seussical Kids, Grease, Elf Jr, Newsies Jr and Bad Jelly the Witch in Katikati.
Matilda cast mates Jack Culver and Mitchell Preston. Photo / Supplied
Matilda — The Musical is the story of a girl with the gift of telekinesis. She overcomes obstacles caused by her hilariously horrible family, and helps her teacher reclaim her life.
Show production manager Hannah Lee says more than 130 adults and children from across the Bay of Plenty were auditioned. This was honed down to 39 performers.
“It was an amazing turnout with so many talented individuals making it incredibly difficult to cast. We have one adult cast who performs in all shows, and two children’s casts and three Matildas who alternate shows.”
“We also have an amazing group of backing vocalists and perhaps the best theatre band you’ll ever experience. This show is tracking to be TMT’s bestselling show to date.”
Due to demand for matinees, TMT has added an extra one on October 1.
The Details
What: Matilda - The Musical, by Tauranga Musical Theatre
Why did TMT choose to take on Matilda — The Musical?
We have wanted to for a long time. It’s one of the biggest, best, and most beloved shows in the world and it brings to the stage the magic of Roald Dahl, whose books so many people grow up with.
There is an incredible pool of young musical theatre talent in Tauranga and this is a production which lets all of them shine, alongside a group of phenomenal adult musical theatre performers.
These will be lifelong memories and invaluable experiences for our young actors.
It tells the story of an intelligent young girl with extraordinary abilities named Matilda Wormwood. She faces a challenging life, as her parents and the cruel headmistress of her school, Miss Trunchbull, fail to recognise her potential. However, she is destined to find a friend in her well-meaning teacher Miss Honey and together they find the confidence and strength to bring order to their dilemmas.
What have been the challenges involved in directing?
Two of the biggest challenges with Matilda have been finding a large cast of triple-threat performers who can handle the complexity and stereotypical requirements of the show’s characters. Half of these characters are children, and to cope with the long season and demanding challenges of each performance, we have installed two kids casts and three Matildas to share the load. This casting has required the doubling and sometimes tripling of rehearsals to ensure configurations of cast members get a chance to learn the material and work with each other.
Are the songs challenging?
The songs in Matilda are the perfect blend of complexity and beauty. Tim Minchin is a real wordsmith who loves language and the clever intertwining of storytelling with catchy tunes and syncopated rhythms. While the songs are fun to sing, there is a lot of work that goes into learning and performing these challenging numbers.
