Matilda The Musical, at The Bay Theatre, Weymouth College (July 28-30)

Roald Dahl changed the face of youth theatre when he wrote a disturbing story that was transformed into a musical show about an exceptionally bright little girl who faces battles with her parents and especially with her sadistic schoolteacher who enjoys punishing the children who are her pupils.

This is a musical like no other with its challenging plot and it is greatly to the credit of the young performers that the evening was endearing as well as being colourful and thought provoking.

This WOW production is full of life as the cast of around 30 young people sing and dance their way through a story that has a happy ending and includes the whole cast spinning around the stage and amongst the audience on scooters, lovely.

Martine Burt brings her usual sensational skills to the production as both the director and choreographer while Nikki Budd, for whom this is her final production with WOW, beautifully handles the music in a show in which dialogue plays just a small role.

13 year old Matilda Brokenshire is sweetly sensitive in the leading role as the courageous Matilda while the ghastly head teacher Miss Trunchbull is played by a suitably aggressive  Patrick Clark who makes the most of wearing a frock and being a frightening female.

WOW will be back at its usual venue of Weymouth Pavilion in November when they stage a production of Oliver by Lionel Bart who successfully transformed  the Charles Dickens story Oliver Twist into a powerful musical of international acclaim.  It is a show you cannot miss.

MARION COX