In ‘Wonder’ the musical, young actors with facial differences find their voices onstage

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (AP) — When Max Voehl auditioned to play the lead role in the musical “Wonder,” he sensed he was playing a version of himself onstage.

Voehl, who was born with a bilateral cleft lip and palate, has endured multiple surgeries like Auggie Pullman — 13 to Auggie’s 28. The 12-year-old from Utah also has been bullied, much like Auggie, who is targeted over his rare genetic condition known as Treacher Collins syndrome, which causes underdeveloped facial bones and tissue.

“Channeling Auggie on stage is actually pretty easy for me because I have felt the emotions he has felt, and I have gone through what he has gone through,” Voehl said after a matinee performance at the American Repertory Theater at Harvard University. Voehl, who alternates the role of Auggie with Garrett McNally, who has Treacher Collins syndrome, called the experience “pure joy.”

Popular book becomes musical

Adapted from R.J. Palacio’s 2012 young adult novel, “Wonder” is a story about the power of kindness and resilience. It revolves around 10-year-old Auggie, who lives in New York and is attending school for the first time after years of being homeschooled. The book was also adapted into a popular film in 2017 starring Julia Roberts and Owen Wilson as Auggie’s parents.

Much of the story is about...