Sometimes You Have to Be a Little Bit Naughty! Matilda – Full Cast Announced

ST. LOUIS (June 4, 2019) – The Muny announced today its complete cast, design and production team for Roald Dahl’s Matilda, the seventh and final show of its 101st season, August 5 – 11. Roald Dahl’s Matilda is proudly sponsored by Emerson.

"The Muny premiere of Matilda has inspired us all to be a 'little bit naughty,'" said Muny Artistic Director and Executive Producer Mike Isaacson. "This team and company promise to bring the magical world of Roald Dahl to our stage in a truly magical way."

Mattea Conforti (Matilda) and Darlesia Cearcy (Mrs. Phelps) join the previously announced Will Swenson (Miss Trunchbull), Laura Michelle Kelly (Miss Honey), Ann Harada (Mrs. Wormwood) and Josh Grisetti (Mr. Wormwood). A psychokinetic ensemble completes this cast, including Maya Bowles, Colby Dezelick, Sean Ewing, Ryan Fitzgerald, Berklea Going, Trevor Michael Schmidt, Gabi Stapula and Sharrod Williams. The company will also be joined by the extraordinary Muny Kid and Teen youth ensemble.

As previously announced, Roald Dahl’s Matilda is directed by John Tartaglia and choreographed by Beth Crandall with music direction by Michael Horsley.

The production team leading Roald Dahl’s Matilda includes scenic design by Paige Hathaway, costume design by Leon Dobkowski, lighting design by Rob Denton, sound design by John Shivers and David Patridge, video design by Nathan W. Scheuer, wig design by Kelley Jordan and puppet design by Eric Wright: Puppet Kitchen International. Production stage manager is Larry Smiglewski. Casting is by Telsey + Company.

MATTEA CONFORTI (Matilda) Muny debut! Mattea made her Broadway debut as the title role in Matilda at age 9. Other Broadway credits include Sunday in the Park with George and the original cast of Disney’s Frozen (Young Anna), which she was a part of from the very first workshop. On television, she can be seen on AMC’s NOS4A2, recurring as Elisa Marie on the hit Starz series Power, as well as Gotham (CW) and The Good Cop (Netflix). On the big screen, Mattea can be seen in the films 3 Generations, The Super and The Viper Club opposite Susan Sarandon. She is also the voice of Moon on the animated series Ollie and Moon.

DARLESIA CEARCY (Mrs. Phelps) Muny debut! Darlesia is a Broadway veteran whose shows include Ragtime (Sarah, Helen Hayes nominee), Shuffle Along (Lottie Gee), The Color Purple (Nettie), Once on This Island (Erzulie), The Book of Mormon and The Goodbye Girl. She was a Viva Award nominee for her single Everlasting Pictures, which appeared on MTV’s Most Wanted, VH1 and Top of the Pops in London. TV: Madam Secretary, House of Cards, Elementary and more. IG@darlesiacearcy

WILL SWENSON (Miss Trunchbull) Muny debut! Broadway: Waitress, Disaster!; Les Misérables, Priscilla: Queen of the Desert, Hair, 110 in the Shade, Lestat, Brooklyn! Off-Broadway: Nantucket Sleighride, Jerry Springer: The Opera (Obie Award), Murder Ballad, Rock of Ages, Little Miss Sunshine, Adrift in Macao, Two Gentlemen of Verona, Pericles. Tours/Regional: Miss Saigon, We Will Rock You, Camelot, It’s a Bird, It’s a Plane, It’s Superman!; The Pirates of Penzance, A Moon for the Misbegotten, The Royal Family of Broadway. Film/TV: The Kitchen, The Greatest Showman, This is Where I Leave You, The Switch, Law & Order (SVU and CI), The Good Wife, No Tomorrow, The Code.

LAURA MICHELLE KELLY (Miss Honey) Muny: The King and I and South Pacific. Laura won an Oliver Award for her title role in the world premiere of Disney’s Mary Poppins. Broadway/NY: Finding Neverland, Me and My Girl, Mary Poppins, Fiddler on the Roof. West End: My Fair Lady, Speed-the-Plow, Lord of the Rings, Beauty and the Beast, Whistle Down the Wind, Peter Pan, Les Misérables, Mamma Mia! US Regional: My Fair Lady and Camelot (Kennedy Center), The Royal Family of Broadway (Barrington Stage). Film: Sweeney Todd, Goddess. Album: The Storm Inside. Other appearances include Muny Magic, Cadogen Hall, Royal Albert Hall, Hampton Court Palace, Royal Opera House, Millennium Stadium, Buckingham Palace, Broadway at the White House (PBS). www.Lauramichellekelly.net

ANN HARADA (Mrs. Wormwood) Muny: Gypsy, 42nd Street and Mamma Mia! Ann was the original Christmas Eve in Avenue Q on Broadway and in the West End. Other Broadway: Cinderella, 9 to 5, M Butterfly, Seussical, Les Misérables. Selected Off-Broadway: Pacific Overtures (Classic Stage Company), Stuffed (WP Theater), Brooklynite (Vineyard Theatre) and Love, Loss, and What I Wore. Regional: Holiday Inn (Paper Mill Playhouse), The New World (Bucks County Playhouse). Film: Youth in Oregon, Sisters, Admission and Hope Springs. TV​: Gotham, Blue Bloods, Younger, The Jim Gaffigan Show, Search Party, The Good Wife, Smash, 30 Rock, House of Cards, Master of None. ​

JOSH GRISETTI (Mr. Wormwood) Muny debut! Josh is an award-winning actor recently seen as Nigel Bottom in the Broadway production (and first national tour) of Something Rotten! Josh also originated the role of Marty Kaufman in Broadway’s It Shoulda Been You (Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle nominations) and won the 2015 Clarence Derwent Award. Other theatrical credits include: Off-Broadway’s Enter Laughing (Theatre World Award; Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle, Lucille Lortel and Drama League nominations), Rent, Peter and the Starcatcher, Red Eye of Love, Candida, After the Ball and regional productions of Prince of Broadway (Tokyo), Diner (Signature Theatre), Camelot (Kennedy Center), How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (LA, Ovation Award), Spamalot (Las Vegas) and others. Television: Like Magic, Nurse Jackie, The Gates, The Knights of Prosperity. Film: The Immigrant, Revolutionary Road, The Namesake. @joshgrisetti

Link for more information: muny.org/matilda

About the show:
Roald Dahl’s Matilda features a book by Dennis Kelly and music and lyrics by Tim Minchin.

With a story inspired by the eccentric genius of internationally-acclaimed author Roald Dahl, and a world inspired by St. Louis native and world-wide artistic legend Mary Engelbreit, Matilda shows how imagination is exactly what we all need to navigate life’s many challenges. When sent to a dismal boarding school, Matilda uses her clear eyes and keen smarts to help her discover her own surprising powers! Created by the world-renowned Royal Shakespeare Company, this four-time Tony Award-winning magical musical, still running in London’s West End, is sure to marvel and entertain Muny audiences.