Roald Dahl was one
of the most prominent British novelist, poet and screenwriters of the 20th
century so when one of his many books – Matilda
– inspired a musical it carried with it a ‘must-see’ tag.
Matilda the Musical, from the Royal Shakespeare Company, opened
at the Edinburgh Playhouse this week and as the winner of a multitude of awards
worldwide its reputation went before it.
Dahl’s book was
written in 1988 and has a thoroughly modern feel to it. I’m usually rather wary
of musicals based on books – the beauty of the written word is it is left to
one’s imagination to envisage the story – but this musical certainly does it
justice.
Matilda Wormwood,
played quite brilliantly by Scarlett Cecil, is a five-year-old girl of unusual
precocity with astonishing intellectual abilities - not that this impresses her
parents, played Rebecca Thornhill and Sebastien Torkia, loveable but
intellectually challenged (‘you’re reading books? What’s wrong with the
telly?!’) Matilda gets up to all kinds of pranks such as gluing her father’s
hat to his head and bleaching her pater’s hair in acts of reprisal for her
parents being so horrible to her.
At school she forms
a friendship with teacher Miss Jennifer Honey, played by Carly Thoms. However,
the school’s headmistress, the tyrannical Agatha Trunchbull, brilliantly played
by Elliot Harper is as equally unimpressed by Matilda’s unique talent as Mr and
Mrs Wormwood who are of the notion they wish their child hadn’t been born at
all. Mr Wormwood refers to Matilda throughout as ‘boy’.
Trunchbull dislikes
the children at her school – in fact, she dislikes all children and threatens them with all kinds of punishment.
Matilda’s running
fabricated story to library worker Mrs Phelps, played by Michelle Chantwell
Hopewell, about an escapologist and acrobat underpins the show. There are
frequent scenes with Mrs Phelps in the library, sat on a stool whilst battling
with her emotions as Matilda relays chapter after chapter of the story of the
two characters she has contrived. Or has she contrived? There’s a wee twist in
the tale towards the end.
Matilda displays a
mischievous streak throughout, but this is underpinned by a sense of innocence
– and as a grandfather of five little horrors I understand this all too well!
The musical is
energetic from the start. The opening number – ‘My mummy says I’m a miracle’ - is chanted with gusto by the
ensemble and gets the show off to a feet-stomping start.
Most of the action
takes place at Matilda’s school and the superb School Song with its dazzling visuals and choreography is one of
the highlights of the evening. The songs fit the story perfectly with numbers
such as When I Grow Up, Telly, The Smell of Rebellion and My
House.
Matilda the Musical has everything one wants from a night at
the theatre. It is emotive, energetic, very
funny and visually spectacular. All of the cast are superb, but a special
mention must go to the leading lady. Scarlett Cecil was absolutely faultless as
Matilda and worthy of the standing ovation she received at the end of the show.
Here’s a young lady who is bound for stardom.
With the Easter
holidays looming this would be the ideal show to take your children to – they
will love it. They may laugh, they may even feel they want to cry but, above
all, they will feel thoroughly entertained. Roald Dahl died in 1990 but his
legacy lives on. Had he still been around to see this musical adaptation, I
have no doubt he would have approved.
Matilda the Musical
is on at the Edinburgh Playhouse until Saturday 27th April 2019.
