arts & life
theater
A
Trunchbull
The
Terrible
Actor David Abeles
transforms himself
into a hulking
presence in
Matilda the Musical.
Suzanne Chessler |
Contributing Writer |
Abeles as Miss Trunchbull
44 March 10 • 2016
t a brawny 6 feet 2 inches, actor
David Abeles is a perfect fit for
his role in Matilda the Musical —
as Agatha Trunchbull.
In the family-aimed, internationally
award-winning production about a little
girl who takes a stand and changes her
life, Miss Trunchbull, the villainous head-
mistress at Matilda’s school, is regularly
played by a man who is big and muscular
to accentuate the overbearing nature of the
character.
“Miss Trunchbull is humungous, hulk-
ing, horrible and hurtful, a disciplinarian
who literally believes in whipping children
into shape,” Abeles explains in a phone
conversation from the road. “She is a
former Olympian hammer thrower and
a bully who takes great joy in screaming
at these children, picking them up and
throwing them. There’s a gymnastic ele-
ment in this part.”
The musical, based on a 1988 book
by Roald Dahl and winner of four Tony
Awards, is being staged through March
20 at Detroit’s Fisher Theatre before its
April 19-24 run at the Wharton Center for
Performing Arts in East Lansing.
“This is a show that appeals to all ages
because of the universal message of taking
control and changing your story from a
bad one to a better one,” says Abeles, 36,
whose athleticism is regularly expressed
through softball participation with the
Broadway Show League.
“Matilda is touching, inspiring and
imaginative. The overarching theme is
pretty universal and appealed to me when
I first saw the play.”
The musical, directed by Tony Award-
winner Matthew Warchus (God of
Carnage), has a script by Tony Award-
winning playwright Dennis Kelly. Music
and lyrics are by Australian comedian,
musician and composer Tim Minchin.
Abeles adds this role to a wide range
of characters he has appreciated playing,
whether on stage, in film or on televi-
sion. Years ago, he transformed himself
into Santa for the Radio City Christmas
Spectacular at the Joe Louis Arena. The
production featured then-Rockette Stacey
Sund, who became his wife in 2011 and
now teaches at New York University.
(Abeles was going to pass on the project
until his agent pointed out he'd be touring
with 32 Rockettes.)
Abeles’ stage credits on Broadway and
in regional theaters include productions
of Once, Million Dollar Quartet and The
Unsinkable Molly Brown. He was in the
film Begin Again and on the TV show Law
& Order, SVU.
“Just before this show, I was in a produc-
tion of Arthur Miller’s Incident at Vichy,
which played at the Signature Theatre
off-Broadway and was filmed for PBS
presentation,” says Abeles, who went to
Hebrew school, had a bar mitzvah and was
encouraged to go into a musical career by