The Guardian
"A work of genius - the best British musical in years."
Roald Dahl’s most beloved heroine has found a second life on stage in Matilda The Musical, the Royal Shakespeare Company’s multi-award-winning adaptation that has been delighting audiences at the Cambridge Theatre since 2011. Sharp, funny and just the right amount of naughty, it is one of the finest British musicals of the century so far.
Matilda Wormwood is a tiny girl with a huge brain, a love of books and parents who cannot stand her. Overlooked at home and terrorised at school by the fearsome headmistress Miss Trunchbull, she finds an ally in her gentle teacher Miss Honey, and discovers that a quick mind, a strong sense of right and wrong and a little bit of extraordinary power can change everything. It is a story about standing up to bullies and rewriting your own ending.
Why it’s worth the watch
Matilda is that rare family show that treats children and adults as equally intelligent. Here is why it wins over both:
- The songs. Tim Minchin’s score is genuinely witty and surprisingly moving, from the defiant ‘Naughty’ and ‘Revolting Children’ to the wistful ‘When I Grow Up’.
- The staging. Alphabet blocks, swings that soar out over the audience and Dennis Kelly’s clever book make it as inventive to watch as it is to listen to.
- The awards. Matilda has won more than 100 international prizes, including a record-breaking haul of Olivier Awards, and the reputation is deserved.
- Miss Trunchbull. The child-catching headmistress, traditionally played by a man, is one of the great comic villains in modern theatre.
