Curve, Leicester
9th October, 2025
“Just because you find that life’s not fair
it doesn’t mean that you just have to grin and bear it”
What is it about Roald Dahl’s stories that have so captured
the minds of theatre makers?
To my mind it is his ability to present moral fables without
sugar-coating the truth, often served up with great dollops of gruesome humour
and characters that fizz with personality, while never underestimating the
reader’s intelligence and imagination. Dahl’s enduring popularity with both
children and adults make him the perfect source for family-friendly stage work.
The lyrics to ‘Naughty’ succinctly capture of the ethos of
Dahl’s work – the underdog overcoming adversity; Robin Hood-ing your way out of
a problem; childhood revelry; razor-sharp wit – and in Matilda, Tim
Minchin (music and lyrics), Dennis Kelly (book) and Matthew Warchus (director)
have created the greatest what is still the Dahl adaptation to date. Now, fifteen years after it first premiered at the RSC, the modern classic is heading back on tour and proving yet again why Minchin and Warchus (and Dahl!) are a force to be reckoned with.
Neglected by shallow parents who’d rather preen and watch
endless amounts of TV than spend time with their daughter, five year old
Matilda Wormwood escapes into a world of books and make-believe. Her precocious
intelligence and determination to do what’s right endear her to her peers and
caring-but-timid teacher, Miss Honey (Tessa Kadler). Alongside these new friends she uses her ‘miraculous’ gifts to serve her ignorant parents and
bullying headmistress, Miss Trunchbull (Richard Hurst), their long-awaited
comeuppance.
Minchin peppers the show with catchy tunes and his trademark
lyrical wit; the ‘School Song’ is a particular highlight as the nervous
newcomers get a lesson in both the alphabet and the perils of the education
system. Minchin’s use of homophones is nothing short of genius. Elsewhere, puns
a plenty (‘Revolting Children’) and a darn good raiding of the thesaurus -
without, may I add, feeling at all exploitative – (‘The Smell of Rebellion’ has
a definitive list of every olfactory related synonym in the English language!)
exemplify the same skilful wordsmithery which so enchanted me in Minchin’s Groundhog
Day (another collaboration with Warchus). While Minchin is a talented showman himself, I can’t help but itch for his next compositional offering, as he has the potential to produce a body of work as exciting and enduring as Sondheim or Kander and Ebb.
Kelly’s book is just as absorbing as the musical numbers,
allowing each character their moment to shine in a series of anecdotal episodes
– Bruce Bogtrotter and the chocolate cake, Lavender and the newt, Amanda Thripp
and her pigtails, etc. The subplot in which Matilda narrates the story of the
Acrobat and the Escapologist is a beautiful insight into her imagination as
well as sweetly revealing her yearning for a loving family. Storytelling imbues
much of the aesthetic of Warchus’ production, from the cartoonish stylisation
of the Wormwoods and employment of music hall type interaction seen in ‘Telly’,
to Rob Howell’s building block-cum-scrabble tile design.
Peter Darling’s choreography is punchy with echoes of the
original Spring Awakening movement. The kids hurl themselves in and out of
angular positions with rebellious verve, while desks, swings and even parts of
the walls become platforms upon which to express the constraints and freedoms
of the youth. Warchus ensures the fun extends to the very final seconds of the
show, with a wonderfully directed curtain call involving scooters whizzing
across the stage and an in-character Hurst delivering an arch ‘maggots’ to
the audience. I doubt there was a person in the room that didn’t wish they were
up on the stage joining in with the uninhibited playfulness of the finale.
Hurst has a lot of fun with Miss Trunchbull,
relishing in her down right nastiness while revealing a sprightly and
surprising vigour such as when blithely flipping over a gym horse or tossing a baton. I particularly enjoyed Hurst’s dry wit and quiet menace, his Trunchbull turns on a sixpence from panto villainy to a very real icy threat with chilling ease, resulting in an unpredictability that invigorates this well-known story. Likewise,
Rebecca Thornhill and Adam Stafford have a blast as the despicable
Wormwoods, and, though a lad of few words, Samuel Leon had the audience cracking up
with his portrayal of Matilda’s dim-witted brother, Michael. Yet, quite
rightly, and as ever when it comes to Dahl, the children run away with the
whole show. By turns impish, sweet, and laugh-out-loud funny, the child cast
are impeccable and more than match their adult counterparts. At this
performance Matilda was played by Sanna Kurihara and she was tremendous. One of
my favourite moments was her Act 2 number, ‘Quiet’, which Minchin packs full of
twisting lyrics and complex concepts involving physics and philosophy. Kurihara expresses these perplexing notions with great poise, building up the web of
thoughts and noise that both feed and confound Matilda’s brain. We can feel her
frustration, and the post-crescendo peace that ensues is ethereally tranquil as a consequence. Kurihara’s performance is one of subtlety and maturity which is a joy to
behold.
Kelly and Minchin have bottled Dahl’s dual senses of whimsy
and justice and Warchus’ spectacular production is filled with now iconic imagery (the use of swings during ‘When I Grow Up’ makes me emotional due to the nostalgia evoked in its youthful simplicity and soaring giddiness) but never feels gimmicky. The
kids in the audience were rapt with attention, the adults tickled and charmed
in equal measure - Matilda is THE family musical of this generation and
a must-see for musical theatre aficionados for Minchin’s score alone. The fun
and mischief is infectious and I can’t remember the last time I smiled this
much at the theatre.
Matilda the Musical is playing at Curve, Leicester until 25th October
as part of a UK tour. For all dates and further information please visit https://tour.matildathemusical.com/
The cast of Matilda the Musical including Madison Davis as Matilda Credit: Manuel Harlan
No comments:
Post a Comment