What a comeback! Unbelievable! Rewind a bit — “BACKWARDS!” Matilda the Musical had been anticipated in the theatre department since May. The kids in the show were absolutely jazzed to share it with fellow Lancers and the world. The community was extremely supportive by sending gifts and candygrams and even wishing luck by saying, “Break a leg!”
Braxton Grady Moore (12) may have taken this saying too far. On November 18, Matilda the Musical went south. The cast had just finished a much-needed 10-minute intermission when the spotlight opened on a special performance by Mr. Wormwood, played by Riley Knyaston (12), and his son, Michael Wormwood, played by Moore.
Now this number is truly a highlight — the two actors look forward to the song all show long, and when it finally hits, “Boy is it fun!” Moore said. He says his favorite part of the number is that it is different every time. The actors improvise and just have a lot of laughs. “Our song is really in everyone’s minds and hearts now,” Moore said. He hit the stage with his usual 110%.
“Then everything shifted,” he said. “One minute I’m a rockstar down on one knee, and the next, I’m on the floor in front of a silent crowd of people — I swear you could hear a pin drop,” Moore said.
A dislocated knee!
Moore says his whole theatre career flashed before his eyes, questions ran through his head: “Is my season over?” “Can I still do the rest of the show?” “Is this the end?” At the same time, his mind is going 100 miles a minute, Kynaston, Moore’s scene partner thinks it’s all a part of the performance — for all of about 30 seconds.
Kynaston quickly stopped the show and got Moore the attention he needed. Every single Granger adult in the audience rushed the stage that night when they knew Moore was injured, including, Ms.Timpson the theatre director, Mr. Hunt, the stage crew manager, Mr. Cousins, a teacher and coach, plus a few others.
“With the support of all the adults, I felt safe again,” Moore said.
“We happened to have a wheelchair right there on stage — a prop wheelchair for this show that Mrs. Wormwood uses during ‘Miracle,’ ” Ms. Timpson said. “The minute we wheeled Braxton off stage, he was making the ‘Lancer Love’ symbol, and saying that he wanted the show to continue,” she said.
Timpson turned to Kynaston and checked in with him. “He assured me he could finish the song. Riley did an amazing job keeping the show going,” she said. That’s a real actor right there — this goes to show that improv is no joke.
Help came from all over. Joel Snelgrove (11) had played Michael in a community production of Matilda the Musical, and he kindly offered to step in for scenes as needed. Mr. Hunt managed the cast and crew while Ms. Timpson, Mr. Cousins, Ms. Layton, Mr. Workman, and the custodial staff did all they could to assist with ice and other supplies. It truly goes to show how much Granger’s teachers and parents care.
Mr. Hunt didn’t have a clear view of the accident, but his students yelled for him, so there was no doubt in his mind that there was trouble, so he ran to the stage.
Mr. Cousins, a baseball and basketball coach, jumped up on stage ready to help. “I knew that he was hurt, but I didn’t know how bad. When I heard him screaming, I hopped up on stage,” Cousins said. “By the time I rolled him over, the knee was already back in place. My family, sitting right next to me, saw that his knee popped out.”
It is safe to say that Mr. Cousins knows a thing or two about knee injuries. “From my experience with baseball and basketball, I knew how to tape it up. We gave him the option to go to the hospital, but he insisted on performing, so we got him back on that stage.” Cousins never heard a crowd cheer louder than the audience at Saturday night’s Matilda the Musical. “It was amazing to see how much dedication Braxton had to get back up and perform like that.” And Mr. Cousins is a hero in plain sight, obvs.
“Coming back on stage was a crazy moment for me. People came out to see the show and watch me perform, so I wanted to follow through with that,” Moore said. While he was gathering his strength, the cast was encouraging him and checking up on him.
Timpson wasn’t surprised. “Moore insisted on returning to the stage. He missed one scene, but he was determined to appear in the last scene,” she said.
Timpson, Kynaston, Moore, and Mati Turner (11) (Mrs. Wormwood) reworked the blocking for the final scene so Moore could perform the final scene. “That’s all I wanted to do from the start,” Moore said.
Having prepared for the scene and talked through everything that would be different, they arrived on stage for a wild conclusion. SKKRT! The Wormwood family zoomed on stage for Moore’s triumphant return. The crowd went WILD! Moore arrived in a wheelchair grinning from ear to ear — thrilled to be back! “I am proud that I can inspire and encourage others to keep going, and I’m so thankful for all the help and good wishes I get to this day,” Moore said.
