WONDER OF WONDERS!

A musical that refuses pity and earns its hope

American Repertory Theater’s world premiere of the musical adaptation of R. J. Palacio’s best-selling Wonder and the eponymous 2017 film, is, indeed, filled with wonders. The children’s novel is not only the story of a boy with a facial difference, though that is its most visible marker, but also the story of his family and friends, and how his struggle to make his way in a world that isn’t always kind affects them.

Garrett McNally (Auggie), Javier Muñoz (Nate), Nathan Salstone (Moon Boy)

Auggie, played by Garrett McNally (alternating with Max Voehl), reluctantly agrees to attend school for the first time as a seventh grader. Smart, curious, and previously homeschooled, he has spent his early years immersed in video games and science, cocooned in a bedroom with a spaceship-shaped bed and an imaginary astronaut companion, Moon Boy (Nathan Salstone). His loving parents, Isabel and Nate (Alison Luff and Javier Muñoz), believe he has reached the age when protection must give way to experience—even knowing that the outside world can be cruel.

At Beecher Prep, Auggie enters a school culture that promotes learning and ethical behavior through monthly “precepts” — mottos meant to encourage kindness and integrity. He finds friendship, particularly with Jack (Donovan Louis Bazemore, as impressive in this production as he was in Oh Happy Day!). Yet even with enthusiastic and inspiring teachers — Pearl Sun’s zany chemistry teacher Ms. Pelosa, Raymond J. Lee’s earnest Mr. Browne — and a compassionate principal (Melvin Abston), the atmosphere is not immune to cruelty. These adults are not able to prevent under-the-radar mocking and harassment by some students, especially Julian (Reese Levine) and Amos (Nicholas Trupia).

Nathan Salstone (Moon Boy), Javier Muñoz (Nate), Alison Luff (Isabel),
Garrett McNally (Auggie), and Kaylin Hedges (Via)

Nor does Auggie exist in a vacuum. His older sister, Via (Kaylin Hedges, who twice brought tears to my eyes with her expressive singing) has her own struggles, having spent much of her young life in hospital waiting rooms while her brother underwent his 28 surgeries. She comes back to high school after the summer break to find that her former best friend Miranda (Paravi) no longer has time for her.

Frankly, I had braced myself for a maudlin story going into this performance, but Sarah Ruhl’s deeply intelligent book and the catchy rock rhythms of A Great Big World (Ian Axel & Chad King), as well as Matt Saunders‘ clean yet beautiful scenic design and Katie Spelman‘s delightful choreography make this an absorbing and uplifting experience.

Garrett McNally (Auggie) and Donavan Louis Bazemore (Jack)

Ruhl gives every major and even some minor characters a solo and a moment in the spotlight to keep reminding us that Auggie is part of a family and a larger community that are affected by his struggles with bullying and ostracism. The scenic design draws on the adolescent fascination with the video game Minecraft; an ever-changing array of colored squares reflect the emotional tone of the action, while the Loeb Drama Center’s turntable stage allows for fluid transitions.

Unlike the film version, in which Auggie was performed by Jacob Tremblay, both actors who play Auggie are young people with facial differences. Director Taibi Magar and the production collaborated closely with advisors knowledgeable about craniofacial conditions. Amplified casting calls brought McNally — an assured performer whose prior credits consisted largely of elementary school Christmas plays — into this professional spotlight. His vulnerable performance rejects pity, grounding the show’s message in authenticity rather than sentimentality. Along with Magar’s sensitive and deeply empathetic direction, the message underscoring Wonder has a powerful beating heart. That message, in its simplest form, is this: Choose kindness. The show demonstrates in multiple ways how a single act of kindness can ripple through a family and a community.

The Company

The show is not without flaws. I found the role of Moon Boy utterly superfluous; while Salstone’s Astronaut-suited athletic shenanigans earned extra applause at curtain call, the character’s purpose remains muddy once Auggie enters the broader world. Is he an imaginary friend? An alter-ego? I could believe this character existed while Auggie was homeschooling in isolation, but I found his persistence throughout the show irrelevant, especially since Auggie doesn’t really interact with him.

Likewise, the reaction of Via’s new boyfriend Justin (an appealing Diego Cordova) to meeting Auggie felt unrealistically unruffled. He shows no sign of being taken aback at this first meeting; even if Via has told Justin about her brother (as she presumably would have done), he would certainly have felt some surprise, even confusion, in his first encounter with a person with a significant facial difference no matter his intention.

Members of the company watch Nathan Salstone (Moon Boy) & Garrett McNally (Auggie)

Perhaps I have that opinion because I felt mild shock the first time I saw McNally’s face, but with repeated exposure, I experienced growing acceptance and even appreciation for his unusual appearance. And that’s one of the goals of the show, expressed in the musical number, “Change the Way We See,” which acknowledges that initial discomfort is part of the journey — one the audience may well experience alongside the characters. In this regard, this is a story very much suited to live theatre featuring performers with facial differences, rather than being presented as a book.

Alison Luff (Isabel) and Garrett McNally (Auggie)

Finally, I found the culmination of the story, in which Auggie receives an award at a graduation ceremony for standing up to bullying, to be disappointingly superficial. It reinforces the value of external rewards, a message that neither children nor adults need to hear, given its prevalence in capitalism. Auggie’s real reward — and the audience’s — is something quieter and more lasting: the recognition that, as Magar notes, “radical, imaginative, practiced kindness is still possible, even when the world feels harsh.”

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photos by Hawver and Hall

Wonder
American Repertory Theater (A.R.T.)
Harvard University
Loeb Drama Center in Harvard Square, 64 Brattle St in Cambridge
2 hours and 10 minutes, including intermission
ends on February 8, 2026 EXTENDED to February 15, 2026
for tickets (starting at $43), visit A.R.T.

for more shows, visit Theatre in Boston

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