Matilda "Bruce" Questions

[GlindatheGood22]

Posted: 6/6/13 at 12:43pm

I know there were some lyric changes when the show came to Broadway. Is the Tardis lyric still in?

Also, how is Bruce eating the cake staged? I can't imagine they actually make a kid eat an entire cake. :)

Updated On: 6/6/13 at 12:43 PM

[jnb9872]

Posted: 6/6/13 at 12:44pm

I believe the changes made were two or three words, according to Minchin, nothing extreme. So, yes, the TARDIS lines are still in "Bruce", gloriously geeky and British.

[dramamama611]

Posted: 6/6/13 at 1:03pm

****Possible Spoiler***** It seems to be an inflatable cake. While he "eats" it, he is pushing out the air. You can clearly see him pushing it down when watching from the mezz.

[macnyc]

Posted: 6/6/13 at 1:07pm

^^^ I was up in the balcony and couldn't see the cake that clearly, but it sure was a great illusion! At the time I wondered how it was done.

[nasty_khakis]

Posted: 6/6/13 at 1:08pm

It folds down in stages, so you can see he's eaten a quarter, half, etc.

I'm a HUGE Dahl fan and always loved the book growing up, but the Bruce bit always bothered me. He DID steal a slice of cake, why is the Trunchbull so cruel for punishing him? She's cruel in many, many other ways, but he did steal. I know a slice of cake isn't like stealing money but it's still wrong. I guess it's just meant to be a touch of whimsy when her grand plan to punish the children is thwarted by a little boy eating an giant cake.

[wonderfulwizard11]

Posted: 6/6/13 at 1:18pm

I don't think the Trunchbull is cruel for punishing him, but it's the method of punishment that is cruel.

[ucjrdude902]

Posted: 6/6/13 at 1:19pm

Yeah the cake folds down into the desk.

[broadway_show_fan]

Posted: 6/6/13 at 1:22pm

it squishes into the pedestal cake pan/stand by quarters, as others have mentioned (though I don't think it's inflatable, but more like springs that just squish down). The top DOES seem to be covered with actual chocolate and whipped cream though, as Jack Broderick (or occasionally Sawyer Nunes) is truly covered in chocolate.

[dreaming]

Posted: 6/6/13 at 1:32pm

It is an inflatable cake that folds down in stages.

I thought in the book it was more effective when done with the entire school watching. (And the image of the cook in the book was really funny-smoking the cigarette and wheezing her way up to the stage. She was a filthy, grimy character.) There was something more galvanizing about having ALL the kids see him succeed.

I did question even then why she was considered so cruel in this case-he did something wrong and deserved to be punished. Quite frankly, I thought her reverse psychology method was great until it backfired because he ate the whole thing.

One thing I miss in the musical is how well developed the other children in the book are. Lavender is, as is Nigel, who's the class Pigpen (dirty child) (they have distinctive personalities), and the ironically named Prudence, who isn't very bright. (I love the spelling test where Prudence uses Miss Honey's teaching tool to spell the word "difficulty" and is met with anger from Miss Trunchbull, as Miss Honey has managed to get through to even one of the duller tools in the class how to spell a tough word using something other than corporal punishment.)

[rswright]

Posted: 6/6/13 at 2:14pm

Bruce looks like he smears brown makeup on his face right when the song begins, we could see him rubbing his face from where we were sitting. There are a few piles of whipped cream on top of the cake that he does eat.

[GilmoreGirlO2]

Posted: 6/6/13 at 3:56pm

Not related to “Bruce,” but I do have a question concerning line changes:

On the London cast recording I am pretty sure I am hearing Mrs. Wormwood (in the opening number) say “F—k a baby!” Assuming I am hearing correctly, I have been wondering if this line is still in the Broadway version?

[getatme]

Posted: 6/6/13 at 3:59pm

She's saying "But I've got a baby, I don't want another one!" Which she still says in the show on Broadway.

[GilmoreGirlO2]

Posted: 6/6/13 at 4:02pm

It’s funny, every time it plays I try to listen to for if I am hearing it correctly and I could hear nothing but the F-line every time. While I thought it was hilarious, it did seem like it came out of nowhere. Thank you for clearing that up!

Updated On: 6/6/13 at 04:02 PM

[jonartdesigns]

Posted: 6/6/13 at 5:14pm

speaking of effects, how is the "swing by her pigtails" bit accomplished?

[BL5965]

Posted: 6/6/13 at 6:44pm

Unless they've changed it from London, I believe it's a wig and a harness.

[broadwaybabytn]

Posted: 6/6/13 at 7:04pm

I have another question about "Bruce." I saw Sawyer Nunes do it, and while I loved his performance and thought he executed his part very nicely, I couldn't help but wonder how the number played differently with Jack Broderick., and would imagine that he would have been well-acquitted as Bruce, though I thought the physicality of Sawyer eating an entire cake was hilarious. Does anyone have any opinions?