Matilda: From Screen to Stage

A few weeks ago, I saw Matilda the Musical on Broadway. I left the Shubert Theatre both delighted and appalled that the ten-year-olds on stage were already more accomplished than I could ever be.

A brief recap if you know nothing about Matilda: it's the story of a brilliant little girl who has horrible parents. She loves to read and is a child prodigy, but her parents think she is insane for preferring Dickens to reality TV. When she finally enrolls in school, she has the misfortune of attending the Crunchem Hall Academy, run by the terrifying Agatha Trunchbull, a woman who ought to be imprisoned for her barbaric treatment of the students. The one saving grace is Miss Honey, Matilda's first-grade teacher, whose name is a perfect indication of her personality. She recognizes Matilda's talents and the two of them form an alliance as they stand up to the people who keep trying to put them down. Matilda the movie was one of my all-time favorite movies as a child, but I only recently read the book. The Broadway show is relatively faithful to the book but takes a great deal of dramatic license at certain points, like fleshing out Miss Honey's backstory. This means that no matter how well you know the story, you'll still be surprised. 

I was blown away by the children in this production - they are immensely talented and supremely confident. I also had no idea they weren't British until I read the playbill. They're all speaking in spot-on British accents in addition to singing and dancing, and it's a remarkable feat. It can certainly be difficult to understand the lyrics at times as the children's voices are a bit shrill and the acoustics aren't great. But who cares about the lyrics when you're staring at the mesmerizing set? It's colorful, innovative, and spellbinding. Every inch of the stage is used to brilliant effect; trap doors and set pieces are popping up all over the place and the choreography is magnificent. One song that involves the children swinging on playground swings is particularly astonishing as they keep swinging higher and higher until they look like they could fall into the audience at any minute. You won't be able to keep your eyes off the stage.  

Matilda is an entertaining and engaging show for adults and children alike. With Tim Minchin as the composer, you can expect clever and hilarious lyrics stacked with double and triple entendres to keep audience members of all ages amused. The acting is stellar, the production design is excellent, and overall, it's one of the best ways you could spend two and half hours on Broadway.