Review
Review
Review: Matilda the Musical
Over a decade later, Matilda remains one of the best musicals to hit the West End
As much a part of Matilda as received pronunciation and Tim Minchin’s fast-paced lyricism is the sound of children reacting. There is audible astonishment as Amanda Thripp is swung around by her pigtails, whispers as Bruce Bogtrotter slowly disappears an entire chocolate cake in front of our eyes. When Matilda speaks back to the intimidating Miss Trunchbull, there are gasps throughout the theatre (“Oh no she didn’t,” mumbles a small voice in the row behind.) If you prefer a silent and respectful auditorium, this maybe isn’t the show for you. If you’re ready to hear hundreds of young people falling in love with theatre in real time, look no further.
Matilda is one of few shows that pulls off the improbable and manages to be a truly all-ages experience. It’s highly accessible, easy for even the youngest theatregoers to engage with, but the standard of writing and performance is some of the highest on the West End, and the emotional punches land perhaps even harder for the adults in the audience. Based on Roald Dahl’s classic children’s novel about a superintelligent young girl whose family don’t appreciate her for who she is, it is at its heart a story about belonging, and finding the people who understand you. Its rallying cry to not just accept the truths that adults tell you but trust to your own sense of right and wrong is a message that has resonated with children for decades – and the stage production at the Cambridge Theatre brings it to life in glorious fashion.
Tim Minchin (music and lyrics) and Dennis Kelly (book) get to the heart of what makes the original story so appealing – the feeling that Dahl isn’t talking down to his young readers but speaking to them on their level. Minchin’s fast-paced wordplay and verbose lyrics aren’t always easily digestible, which makes them all the more appropriate. The show’s darker themes aren’t overexplained but left to speak for themselves – adults will sit with them, and children will celebrate the eventual triumph of good over bad. Housing it all is Rob Howell’s set, which is truly a magical thing, always revealing some new surprise – the swings on which the young cast sail out over the audience during tearjerker ‘When I Grow Up’ are particularly wonderful.
Speaking of the cast – the adult performers draw the short straw here. No warm and loveable Miss Honey or mad Miss Trunchbull will be discussed on the tube home anywhere near as much as the unbelievably professional cast of young performers. They tackle roles that would exhaust any professional with unbelievable nonchalance – another display of magic for their peers in the audience. Over a decade since it first debuted, Matilda remains one of the most impressive displays of West End talent across the board. Long live revolting children.
Matilda The Musical is currently playing at the Cambridge Theatre – find tickets here
