Although he was scheduled to step into the sensible shoes of villainous school headmistress Miss Trunchbull starting Tuesday, an injury has forced actor Christopher Sieber to delay his debut in the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical Matilda.
According to a spokesperson for the production, Sieber fractured a bone in his hand during rehearsals for the physically demanding leading role, which is performed in drag.
Cast member Ben Thompson will play Miss Trunchbull until April 8, when Sieber is now expected to begin performances.
A British import, Matilda is based on the Roald Dahl children's novel about a bookish young girl overcoming an unpleasant upbringing. In a 2013 review, The Advocate called the musical "a visually stunning spectacle with a positive message of self-empowerment" and declared that Miss Trunchbull "might be the most quietly terrifying villain since Meryl Streep's Miranda Priestly."
Sieber earned Tony nominations for his work in Spamalot and Shrek the Musical. His other Broadway credits include Pippin, La Cage aux Folles, Into the Woods, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Triumph of Love, Chicago, and Beauty and the Beast.
Promoting his role as a gay dad in ABC's groundbreaking but short-lived series It's All Relative, Sieber publicly came out as gay in a 2003 interview with The Advocate.
For more information on Matilda, visit MatildaTheMusical.com.
