Matilda

Starring: Sophia Goodman, Rakesh Boury, Lauren Byrne, Elliot Harper, Amy Ellen Richardson, Lily Hanna, Connor Lewis, Jude Farrant
Directed by: Matthew Warchus
Music & Lyrics by: Tim Minchin
Genre: Musical, Comedy, Drama
2010

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: Matilda (Sophia Goodman) is an outcast in her own family. When she finally attends school, she connects deeply with Miss Honey (Lauren Byrne) but tries to stay away from the villainous Miss Trunchbull (Elliot Harper).

Review:

Tim: I'm a huge fan of Roald Dahl's Matilda. I read the book with my 9 year-old son and 5 year-old daughter. We watched Danny DeVito's incredible film. And, on a recent trip to London, England, we got to see Matilda the musical in the West End, at the Cambridge Theater. This was my first show in the West End and I was excited to share this with my kids and wife.

The play itself is very good! It was fun to watch a British production of this story. The narrative follows the original novel closely, although it made a few small adjustments here and there. The soul of the story is intact, and it was fun to see some of the minor modifications. Dahl's story is so iconic and so well told that this play had a strong source material. Some quick history- the play premiered in 2010. It won 7 Oliver Awards in 2012 and it won 5 Tony Awards in 2013. It's been playing in London since 2011 and I saw the musical in the summer of 2024.

I thought the stage design was solid- it might have been a tad unremarkable, but there were still innovative set changes and enough to look at to hold your attention. The narrative is very character-driven, so some sparseness in terms of set design wasn't totally unexpected. It never detracts from the story, but there weren't as many "wow" moments as I've seen in other productions. Overall, though, it was well-designed.

The cast I saw was solid. I didn't love Sophia Goodman as Matilda. I loved the commitment to more diverse hiring, but Goodman felt less precocious than I'd expect from Matilda. I thought her performance was good, but never truly memorable. Lauren Byrne was solid as Miss Honey. She played the character well, representing who was on the page effectively in real life. Rakesh Boury was excellent as Mr. Wormwood. His performance was larger-than-life and over-the-top and he brought immense energy to the role. Elliott Harper was a scene-stealer as Miss Trunchbull. It was truly inspired casting to have a man play Miss Trunchbull- Harper has the physical for the role, the toxic macho qualities that make Miss Trunchbull such an unforgettable character. Harper throws himself all over the stage, giving the best and most memorable performance of the film.

As a whole, I enjoyed the musical production of Matilda in the West End. My kids had a good time, too. I don't think they liked it as much as the film (same with me), but it was a great way to spend an evening. They had a lot of fun and were engaged from beginning to end. The play is 2 hours and 40 minutes long (with 1 intermission) and they hung in for the whole thing. The musical absolutely has some tremendous moments and it was a great joy to watch this story adapted for the stage. I'm really glad we saw this.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: N/A



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