BOUNTIFUL—The Bountiful City Council took a moment at a recent meeting to honor a local boy who is headed back East to play the starring role in the musical adaptation of “Wonder.” Sixth grader Max Voehl, won the role of Auggie after several auditions. 

“Max lives in my neighborhood in Bountiful,” said Councilmember Beth Child. “Max was born with a cleft palate and he’s had a lot of surgeries over the years.”

Also over the years, all of the talented Voehl kids have performed in lots of musical theater shows, she said. “A few months ago one of Max’s doctors told the Voehls that the best selling book “Wonder” was being developed into a musical and he encouraged Max to audition for the role.”

“Wonder” is a young adult novel and is about a boy with facial differences navigating a world of kindness and cruelty and it’s about choosing kindness, she said. “So at first, as I understand it, Max’s mother Jeanne said no but Max had a different idea. He said ‘how cool would it be to participate in something that teaches kindness?’”

So Max went through all the auditions and eventually was flown back to New York for callbacks where he earned the lead role of Auggie, Child said. “Isn’t that amazing? So this summer Max spent a month in New York City workshopping ‘Wonder’ with the creative team and other actors and he will be returning to New York to begin rehearsals.”

It will open in Cambridge, Massachusetts in November for the world premiere run at American Repertory Theater, she said. “Max, we just really wanted you to come today and let you know that the mayor and city council are very proud of you and for your courage to participate in something that's really hard to do but will send a great message of kindness out into the world.”

“I’m just so grateful to be in this city and this community,” said Jeanne Voehl. “My husband and I moved to Bountiful from out of state in January of 2011 and I was pregnant with my oldest son. We didn’t know a soul here but over the last 14 years of living in Bountiful we’ve been welcomed and embraced by our neighbors and our friends and adopted family, our school and community.”

That really kicked up in 2014 when Max was born, she said. “It was definitely a difficult time for us to navigate having a toddler and having a child now with medical difficulties and setbacks.”

It was often difficult to go out in public because Max was recovering from so many surgeries and he had tape on his face and various devices, said Jeanne. “There is a song in the show ‘Wonder’ that Max sings called ‘Stare’ and we got lots of stares and it was really hard as a mom. But this cashier at Costco always smiled at him and said ‘hi’ to us and asked how we were doing.”

Jeanne said one time she stopped her to tell her how much she appreciated what she’d done over the years. “I told her about this journey and I was able to take the time to tell her how much it meant to me back then and it was probably nothing on her radar. She’s just cashiering but she knows who we are. She recognizes us. Her kindness made a huge difference.”

“We’re cheering you on,” said Mayor Kendalyn Harris. “We hope that eventually you’ll come back and sing a song for us.”

“I’m really excited to go,” said Max. “But I also kind of don’t want to go.”

“You’ll miss being home I bet a little bit,” said Harris. “But it’ll be an amazing experience and then you’ll come home.”

Harris read the certificate from the council before presenting it to Max. “This certificate is from the Mayor and City Council in recognition of your outstanding achievement in earning the role of Auggie in the Broadway bound musical ‘Wonder.’ Your talent and courage to teach the world kindness has brought pride to our community and serves as an inspiration to others.”