Despite her unfortunate situation, Matilda seems to be the girl every girl wants to be. Roald Dahl’s creation has inspired thousands of young readers to read more. He has sparked their enthusiasm for reading, not only in creating a magnificent story, but also in formulating a character who loves to read, who is the hero and who is vulnerable yet so genuinely compassionate to all. It’s a wonder that no one has every tried to adapt it for the stage before now. With the help of Dennis Kelly and musical talent of Tim Minchin in association with the Royal Shakespeare Company, Matilda is no longer just a figure in the imagination of young readers or a projection on the screen, instead she is brought alive in the Cambridge Theatre every evening by a team of incredibly talented children.
The challenge of the writers was not to create an engaging story, but to find a way to engage the audience in a story that they have all heard many times and which they all probably love. There is no doubt that the production is a challenge, but again, there is no doubt that the audience will leave feeling as if they have wasted their money. Minchin’s music is raw, not as catchy as some might like, but it has a charm about it that sets it apart from traditional musicals. The lyrics are littered with wit and humor that do not interrupt the story, but simply add to it in abundance. ‘Matilda’ instead seems like a play with songs rather than a Broadway franchise.
The talent of the children performing is indisputable. The children become the characters, and stealing the show for me is the insistent, terribly annoying Lavender played by Ellie Simons. I certainly do not remember being so courageous as to face even a shop keeper as a full theatre every night when I was 9 years old. A lot can be said for the adults too, especially Bertie Carvel who plays Miss Trunchbull, displaying vigor and outright determination as the typical villain (without becoming pantomime-esque) to be ‘boo-ed’ in the curtain call and so convincing that when reading the programme in the interval the two people sat behind me exclaimed ‘oh my goodness I thought the person playing Miss Trunchbull was a woman!’ There probably is no stranger compliment to be heard.
The set design is wonderfully intricate and clever without being over-bearing and detracting from the production. This can be seen in the ‘School Song’ where cleverly timed and designed bricks are pushed through a pattered grate stressing certain letters right the way through the alphabet. It shows how the music, the words, and the set do not have to commence battle against each other, but instead have been simply designed to work together harmoniously to add nothing but greatness to the show.
‘Matilda’ the musical is not a show that shouts in your face. It is enjoyable in every sense of the word and it has undoubtably ushered the best talent to its stage. Its beauty lies in it’s simplicity, it is inviting, touching and most importantly is tells a story that really means something not just to little girls, but to humanity and society as a whole.
Thoughts 