REVIEW: Matilda at the Cambridge Theatre

I had the great pleasure of attending opening night for the brand-new cast of Matilda at the Cambridge Theatre, which premiered at the RSC in 2010. This is a multi-award-winning musical inspired by the beloved book by Roald Dahl and tells the story of a young girl who is growing up in a family that doesn’t appreciate her great love for books and her incredible imagination. Her habit of losing herself in literature doesn’t protect her however from nightmares and rage. Funnily enough, I was reminded of Stranger Things’ “L”, as Matilda starts moving objects with her mind and terrorising her bullies.

Matilda is written by playwright Dennis Kelly, with music and lyrics by the anarchic Australian comedian, musician and composer Tim Minchin, and direction by Matthew Warchus. The text and music are clever and ingenious, including humour for children and adults. This makes it the perfect treat for the whole family and will transport anyone to this familiar but dark world: indeed, it’s good to be reminded of how dark Dahl’s stories can be! 

Matilda the Musical: Theatre Review

Matilda the Musical was originally staged in Stratford-Upon-Avon by the RSC at the Courtyard theatre, the production recently moved to the Cambridge Theatre in London (replacing Chicago). The production seems to be based more on Roald Dahl's original book than the film which translates onto the stage perfectly. The story follows a young girl (Matilda) who loves books and tells how she defeats the horrible people in her life, a story which all children and adults love with a heart-warming message.

It would be one of the last things I would ever think of to put on stage, but with Tim Minchin's Music and Lyrics and Dennis Kelly's book it works fantastically. The music is very good, but in all fairness it's not a score that's going to be remembered forever, you'll be humming the songs after the show but unless you buy the soundtrack then you'll forget the tunes pretty quickly. None the less, Tim Minchin has done a brilliant job with this musical and his writting is very intellegent.

The visual side of the show was absolutely stunning, it must be the best design I have ever seen on a West End stage. The set poured off the stage, surrounding the proscenium arch in boxes which looked fantastic and a spectacular lighting design to complement this. The continuous theme of books throughout was also a nice touch; it gave the production that edge which left you spell bound. The production has really been modernised and that's exactly what it needed, I did think they might try and set the show in a specific date but it's really been brought into the 21^stCentury and has brought a new life into the much loved, classic book.