Matilda

Matilda is based on a much loved Roald Dalh’s book of the same name. The musical version of the book is the product of Tim Minchin and the Royal Shakespeare Company. Since its debut it was much loved around the world and it finally arrived at the shores down under.

Story wise it was quite straight forward – a girl born into a family wanting a boy and trying to make the most out of this desperate life. It is Roald Dalh so there is a bit of magic and super power involved. It is not a complicated story and anyone who has or has not read the book would be able to know what is coming next. However it was the endearing theme of the story and the spectacular display of musical talents that actually made this musical a memorable and enjoyable experience.

In the music department there aren’t a lot of really memorable tunes for my taste. I did like the reminiscence song sung by Miss Honey but I think because nearly the whole story was told through songs, it became a necessity that the songs can’t be too poetic or members of the audience might be lost, especially when there are lots of kids among them. Having said that, I still remember a number of singing scenes that I enjoyed immensely during the show. For example the school gate scene (the alphabet song was ingenious), the classroom scenes and the scene on the swings. They are all very memorable scenes visually and musically and they progressed with the story perfectly. Do I remember the tunes, no I don’t but if you talked about those scenes I can tell you how much I liked them. I think that is a degree of success in terms of a musical. 

Having said that, I personally enjoy the dances a lot. The show opened quite simplistically but then it just got better and better. I wasn’t expecting a lot from kids dancing in a musical show about kids at school. However my lack of expectations just gave me surprises after surprises. I mean those kids in the cast, how could they dance like that? It is not just about remember the moves and choreography. It is about them being able to do it on par with the adults and at times outshone them. For me that is the spectacular part of the show. Those kids moved with such fluidity that you forgot they were actually kids. The swing scenes and the classroom scenes were so well done that they are completely took control of the stage. 

Singing wise most songs are not that hard, probably trying to cater to the children cast. As a result there are not a lot of show casing songs. One of the only few cast members that got to show case their singing talent was Miss Honey. Even that not all her songs were likeable for me. I really dislike the song about her being weak and useless. It actually made me feel the character was annoying during those songs (of course it makes sense in the context of the story but the songs were just irritating for me). 

All these aside Matilda has really good production value especially in terms of staging. The use of the stage was very innovative and set changes were swift and smooth. There are no fancy stuff but they all came together very nicely and they certainly have a very strong Roald Dalh feel to them. The stage space was smartly utilised so audience from all areas could have a decent view of what is happening on the stage. 

One last thing I really appreciated was the cast members who played the father and the brother showing up during intermission and interacting with the audience. Considering the great number of kids in the auditorium it makes the intermission a lot more enjoyable for them if they are not going for another ice-cream or frozen drink. Kudos to that.

Matilda is currently showing at The Lyrics Theatre.