Profile for Belle9

I'm planning on rushing this Sunday. Anybody have a recommendation on what time I should get there? Three of us are trying to get tickets. Thanks!

I'm sorry if this has been discussed already, but I saw a post from Emma Howard stating that the original Matildas, Tim Minchin, and Van Dean received "Special Merit Awards from the Grammys." I can't find anything else that references this. Anyone know what this was about? I know the cast recording was nominated for a Grammy, but didn't win. So what were these awards for?

Hmm...could that be why Sophia is leaving so early? She would make an adorable Little Cosette. She could easily have played Matilda for another year with her age and size.

I came here to post almost exactly what TimmyJ51 wrote, so I'll recap. Last night was my second viewing of Matilda. My first viewing was during previews in March, and I absolutely loved it. I agree that Bierko appeared to take something away from it. I thought Carvel was brilliant, and I wondered last night if part of my dislike for Bierko was my affinity for Carvel's performance and the cast recording. I don't know if my reaction would have been different if it was the first time I'd seen th...

Analise Scarpaci and Marcus D'Angelo have both joined the show as swings. Now there are two swings for the boys and three for the girls. Anyone know if any of the other kids are leaving? Emma Howard is getting pretty tall.

I don't understand why she hasn't been added to the website yet. I'm assuming one of the swings left, because she played Hortensia tonight, and as far as I know, Emma Howard is still in the show. Either that or she's going to be replacing someone soon and they're just giving her a chance to perform. D2, she played Esther Jane in A Christmas Story.

This video shows Sadie when she was rehearsing for a production of Annie nearly a year and a half ago. The video stood out to me then, and I'm sure she's improved by now. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2IKfqEMkao4

Well Billy Elliot was a whole different situation, because the dancing required a very long grooming process, and it was difficult to find boys who fit the role. Matilda's kids have a big job, but it definitely wouldn't take that long to rehearse them. On an interesting side note, I saw Alex Ko in the role of Billy in March of 2011, and his voice was already changing. He was a fantastic dancer and actor, but his changing voice seemed to be the cause of a lot of trouble with his singing.

I doubt that. No kid grows so fast that they wouldn't be able to get a replacement in time. Rehearsals usually only happen for a few weeks at most for an established show.

Has there been any announcement on which kids are leaving the cast? I know Analise Scarpaci (A Christmas Story) recently started rehearsals as a new cast member. Does anyone have any more info on this?

A Christmas Story was my favorite show this season! I'm glad they chose that song. I was sitting front row when I saw it, so I didn't have a good view of the tapping! If it wasn't a Christmas themed show, I guarantee it would have been a front-runner for best musical.

Personally, I had no trouble whatsoever with the accents or the delivery when I was in the theater. I saw Sophia, and she was much easier to understand. I had heard the cast recording many times, so I'm sure that helped a great deal in lyrics comprehension, but dialogue was also clear. It was nothing like my experience with In the Heights, where the delivery led me to leave the theater entertained by the spectacle, but completely clueless about the plot of what I just saw.

I really don't like Oona's accent. For those of you who saw Oona, was this performance on par with what you saw? I saw Sophia, and her accent sounded much less forced to me.

Kathy, by no means am I "faulting" Lilla. I'm just pointing out that Lilla is not the only Annie carrying the show. I know the promotional event you're referring to. That may have been the only televised event, but I have seen many pictures and youtube videos of Taylor making appearances at different events and performing songs as Annie. In fact, I've rarely seen footage of Lilla appearing at a small event. The other swings tend to be heavily featured at these events as well. I personally thi...

Lilla goes on more than the Matildas, but she certainly isn't taking it on herself. Taylor Richardson goes on at least twice a week for Annie, and she also seems to do a great deal of promotional events. Matilda is on stage for nearly all of her show as well. While I don't think the role is as vocally demanding as Annie, there is much more depth dramatically, and the Matildas are much younger.

I'm not sure how I feel about this, but I'm just wondering, were they not eligible or was this a special distinction? If they weren't eligible, was it because they share the part or because they're kids? I saw Matilda, A Christmas Story, and Annie this season. To be honest, Annie seemed to impress me the least. But of course, it's all a matter of opinion. The A Christmas Story kids were extremely impressive, as was the Matilda ensemble. I saw Sophia as Matilda in previews. I can't say she was...

Is there a reason for that? When I saw A Christmas Story, I waited at the stage door because I knew one of the kids in the cast. I got autographs from almost all the kids, and I didn't even have to ask! They were all just so excited to be signing. I can see it being a security issue maybe, but it seems like the Matilda kids are missing out on a part of the Broadway experience.

Just wondering...if the kids don't come out, does that mean they leave a different way to avoid the crowds? Or am I missing something obvious?

Clara, ignore the negativity. Thank you for posting this. I'm also a HUGE Zach fan and have been hoping for years that he'd make it to Broadway. I probably wouldn't have known anything about this if you had posted this on the original thread, so THANKS! :) I can't wait!!

I've been a big fan of the West Side Story film since I was very young. When I saw it on stage for the first time a few years ago on Broadway, I was very confused by the positioning of "Cool" and "Gee, Officer Krupke." I know the stage version came first, but it just felt so out of place to have a comedic song at such a dramatic moment. Am I just more used to the film version, or does anyone feel the same way?