Craig Bierko & Jill Paice in MATILDA

Did/has anyone seen them as Trunchbull & Miss Honey (respectively, of course) yet?

I'm curious too to hear what people think of Jill Paice as Miss Honey. I can't wait to see her in the show!

Anybody know when Craig is expected to join the show?

I know some people on other threads were speculating that Bierko just didn't know the part yet and was "hurt," like Mya or Jeffrey Tambor. However, Tambor and Mya never had to do Olympic stunts in a show as well as sing and dance, so I'm more than willing to believe Bierko might have actually hurt himself.

I'm looking forward to see Jill Paice. I thought Lauren Ward was delivering an incredibly heart-breaking and profound performance as Miss Honey, all while maintaining the subtlety of her character. Her last show left quite an impression on me.

I'm going to let Paice and Bierko settle into the show before I see it.

Any update when it's likely to see Craig take to the role? I've heard "it won't be long" -- but, how long *is* that?

Hoch will most likely be on next week and Bierko will start the following week. He threw out his back during rehearsals.

I lost lotto on Tuesday evening, but $42 tickets were offered to the "non-winners." I ended up sitting in the rear orchestra.

I was really impressed with Hoch's performance. He plays it much more masculine than Bertie did, but he's come up with a lot of his own bits and moments that the whole cast adjusted to and worked with.

I wasn't entirely thrilled with Jill Paice's performance. I thought she was serviceable, really. Her acting ranged from sincere and sweet to a little bit too character and comedic. I think Lauren struck a good balance between being sincere, heartbreaking, and a little offbeat. Paice is still finding her footing I think, but I'm sure she'll get there. Her voice didn't impress me very much, I feel like I had to wait until "My House" to actually get to hear her sing. Where Lauren had a really powerful belt and a very strong head voice, I think Jill has a pretty weak--at times almost inaudible--head voice and a decent belt.

Either way, I think she's a decent enough replacement for Lauren, and it's a shame that Hoch won't be playing the role full time. I think Bierko now has not just one pair of shoes to fill, but two.

Yes, sorry, someone told me the week of the 15th should be his first week.

They call all the names for lotto and then I guess if they have an excess of tickets left, they have the "non-winners" line up and they're lead into the box office to buy the $42 tickets.

Found this today! First photo I've seen of Jill Paice as Miss Honey.

Is the PLAYBILL still in color?

I know some people on other threads were speculating that Bierko just didn't know the part yet and was "hurt," like Mya or Jeffrey Tambor. However, Tambor and Mya never had to do Olympic stunts in a show as well as sing and dance, so I'm more than willing to believe Bierko might have actually hurt himself.


Bierko is also a trained musical theatre performer with tons of experience, which neither Mya nor Tambor (though an actor who'd done theatre previously) was. But casting dispersions is much more interesting than the simple fact that he hurt himself and needs some time to recover.

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I was talking about the rear balcony seats.