In the world premiere of “Wonder”, a young boy with facial differences goes on a journey of self-discovery and finds his place in the world.<\/p>\n
With music from the Grammy Award-winning duo A Great Big World, the new musical at American Repertory Theater in Cambridge is based on the best-selling book and 2017 film of the same name.<\/p>\n
Garrett McNally, who plays Auggie, a boy with the same condition he has, told WBZ-TV, “It makes a story, a heartfelt story, truly genuine to have someone who has a disability, a facial difference, play a character who has a facial difference.”<\/p>\n
McNally shares the role with Max Voehl and says they both hope to inspire other kids who are a little bit different.<\/p>\n
“I want to make them feel like they’re a big community and they’re heard and they’re important,” McNally said.\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Javier Munoz plays Nate, a father who just wants the best for his son, despite the challenges he knows he’ll face.<\/p>\n
Munoz explained, “What we’ve really been able to find is the joy in that, is a celebration in that, and the humanity in that, the struggle in that.”<\/p>\n
Dreaming of writing a musical<\/p>\n
As A Great Big World, composers Ian Axel and Chad King are best known for their song “Say Something.” But they say writing a musical was always the dream.<\/p>\n
Axel said, “The music in ‘Wonder’ feels, I think, more like us than any music we’ve ever created. Our music has always leaned a little theatrical.”<\/p>\n
King added, “And it feels like doing a musical has always been a North Star for us. At some point, we were going to get to this.”<\/p>\n
Axel said Wonder proved to be the perfect match.<\/p>\n
“It’s emotional, also quirky and fun,” he said.<\/p>\n
King was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2007 and says it was healing for him to work on this show.<\/p>\n
“It made me more at peace, made me able to embrace my struggle much more because I know that there are so many people also struggling as well.”<\/p>\n
For McNally, turning the story into a musical just made sense.\u00a0<\/p>\n
“It has a lot of ups and downs and really huge themes and feelings,” he said.<\/p>\n
“I would love it if audiences leave here feeling changed,” Munoz said.<\/p>\n