Your neighbors are on stage --- and they’re extraordinary!
Bradley’s Matilda the Musical showcases remarkable local talent
There is a particular kind of magic that occurs when a community tells a story together. It is not the same as watching professionals on a distant stage — it is something closer, something that belongs to us. That is precisely what is happening right now at The Bradley Playhouse, where Roald Dahl’s Matilda the Musical has opened to an ensemble cast brimming with talent drawn from across northeastern Connecticut.
The production, which continues through May 10, features performers from Putnam, Brooklyn, Danielson, and the surrounding towns of the Quiet Corner.
Among the standout stories within the cast is that of the McDonald family. Kiku Langford McDonald takes on the role of Mrs. Phelps, the warm-hearted librarian who nurtures Matilda’s love of stories, while her sons Rupert and Ambrose appear alongside her — Rupert in the role of the irrepressible Bruce, and Ambrose in the School Kids Ensemble. The three have been on the Bradley stage before in Complex productions of The Little Mermaid and Seussical the Musical, but this marks their first outing together in a Bradley mainstage production. In a show about the transformative power of imagination and family, there is something quietly moving about watching a real mother and her real children inhabiting that same theme under the lights.
They are joined by a roster of familiar local faces. Tristan Jolley, an eighth-grader at Brooklyn Middle School, returns to a musical that holds special meaning for him — he played Nigel in Matilda Jr. with The Complex in 2021 and now steps into the role of Eric on the Bradley’s mainstage. Evan Meyer, a Putnam Middle School student and second-year Conservatory student at The Complex, brings an impressive and ever-growing list of credits to the School Kids Ensemble. Sophia Pontbriand, who works at the beloved Logee’s Tropical Plants, delivers a delightfully scene-stealing turn as the outrageous Mrs. Wormwood. Corey Stanley, a tried and true member of the Bradley family and a Brooklyn resident who teaches dance, visual art, and choreographs mainstage musicals at The Complex is right at home dancing along side the production’s Director Rachel Terceira.
Behind the scenes, the local roots run just as deep. Choreographer Catie Verostick, a board-certified music therapist based in Danielson and a private instructor at The Complex, has shaped the production’s high-energy dance numbers with both precision and joy.
What distinguishes this production, however, is its reach. While the foundation is unmistakably local, the cast and creative team draw from across New England and beyond. Music Director Dr. E. Justin Simone, an award-winning collaborative pianist based in Providence whose résumé includes Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center, leads the musical charge. Director Rachel N. Terceira has returned to the Bradley to helm a production that has drawn performers from Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and communities throughout Connecticut — all converging on Putnam’s historic Front Street theatre.
It is worth pausing to consider what that means. In an era when small towns are often told their best days are behind them, here is a production that is pulling artists toward our community. The Bradley Playhouse has long been a cornerstone of the Quiet Corner, but productions like this one remind us that it is also a living, breathing institution that requires — and richly rewards — our support.
Remaining performances of Roald Dahl’s Matilda the Musical continue through May 10 at The Bradley Playhouse, 30 Front Street, Putnam. For tickets and show times, contact the box office at 860-928-7887 or visit www.thebradleyplayhouse.org.
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Corinne Sweeney and Kiku McDonald. More photos Wed. night on our FB page. Photo by Mike Scott.
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