Matilda The Musical simply gobbles up a reviewer’s superlatives – sensationally theatrical, magically enthralling, outrageously funny but also wickedly grotesque and deeply moving.

Seven years after it emerged from the Royal Shakespeare Company’s workshops, the multi-award winning and staggeringly successful phenomenon has (finally) reached our shores as an Australian touring production.

So many elements must coalesce to make a winning musical, it is difficult to identify what sets Matilda apart. For starters there are the children. Real children: spiky, belching, nose-picking, squirming, wild, revolting children – with revolting rhymes. To see these complex and demanding roles absolutely nailed by a gaggle of pint-sized prodigies is truly amazing. [More] 

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Matilda the Musical asserts its ambitions in the opening number, ‘Miracle’. Precocious children at a birthday party, dressed as ballerinas, princesses and superheroes, sing about the positive messages they have internalised from their parents as they make havoc about the stage on an ADHD sugar high: “Ever since the day doc chopped the umbilical cord, it’s been clear there’s no peer for a miracle like me!” Then it’s the parents turn to dote on their miracles: “He got a C on his report! What?! We’ll have to change his school. That teacher’s clearly falling short”. Every child is a miracle, every child is an above-average achiever.

If any parents in the audience thought they could just complacently take their little ones out to a fun-for-the-whole family Roald Dahl musical adaptation, they clue up pretty fast. Already there’s been an indictment of the whole approach to modern parenting. Yes, Matilda is fun for all ages, but it also out-Pixars Pixar, with its pointed social commentary and targeted messages to the adults. [More]

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I have a confession to make. I haven’t seen all of the film version (starring Mara Wilson) of Matilda and it’s a long time since I read the book, so I feel like I am seeing this story with fresh eyes. I do know that the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) has an excellent track record for creating innovative and popular (and very long-running, in some cases) adaptations of great literature (Nicholas Nickleby, Les Misérables, Les Liaisons Dangereuses, The Canterbury Tales and Wolf Hall to name but a few), and that Matilda the Musical has been running in London since 2011. The show has been publically and critically acclaimed since its first performance, and bringing it to Auckland seems a wonderful and generous undertaking by the RSC. 

So, although I am not prepared with the story of Matilda, I am prepared for something subversive and witty (with a story by Roald Dahl and an adaptation by Dennis Kelly). I am prepared for something innovative and skilfully staged (with the RSC’s track record of musicals and adaptations). I am also prepared for something funny and moving (with Tim Minchin’s wide repertoire of comedy and satire). What I am not fully prepared for is how simply sensational this production is.  

Encountering the set (designed by Rob Howell) for the first time, before the show even begins, is simply breath-taking. Hundreds of books and letters seems to float around the edge of the proscenium arch and the stage itself. My son quickly spots many words within the letters, starting with ‘burp’ and happily carrying on from there.

Throughout the show the set does an awesome job of enhancing the story without overwhelming it. It is intricate, cleverly-constructed and gives us plenty of ‘wow’ moments, my favourite being during the song ‘When I Grow Up’ at the start of the second half. I enjoy the way many scene changes are handled by the cast, energetically placing or removing set items and then disappearing.

It is worth mentioning here that all the technical elements of the show are uniformly excellent. The sound design (by Simon Baker) is superb, the costumes (designed by Rob Howell) are wonderful and the lighting (designed by Hugh Vanstone) is evocative with some great surprises. There are some fun and beautifully executed illusions (created by Paul Kieve) and the choreography (by Peter Darling) is a joy to watch, especially as some nods to New Zealand movement have been added towards the end of the show.

However, this raft of technical excellence is only one part of what makes this show special. From the moment the show bursts into life with ‘Miracle’, the whole cast performs with assurance. Choreography is precisely and energetically executed, and songs are performed skilfully and with feeling. I cannot detect any weak links in the cast, child or adult. Performances are beautifully balanced between exaggeration and subtlety, so that even though many characters, such as Matilda’s parents (Daniel Frederikson and Kay Murphy) are larger-than-life, they are still convincing and believable.

This first song sets the tone of the show, with Minchin’s lyrics ironically depicting parents who see genius in the smallest action of their little darlings, before introducing Matilda – a real genius who is unrecognised (and often unwanted) by her selfish, materialistic parents.

Roald Dahl is a writer well known for having a dark and somewhat grotesque edge to his stories, and Matilda is no different. Miss Trunchbull (a wonderfully funny and villainous James Millar), the headmistress of Matilda’s school, routinely abuses children verbally and physically, while Matilda’s parents are just as abusive to her at home. Matilda escapes into stories, but she also finds some inventive ways of standing up to the uncaring adults around her.

As a character, Matilda (an excellent Izellah Connelly at this performance) is everything we want our children to be: she has a strong moral compass; she stands up for the underdog and she refuses to give in to bullies like Miss Trunchbull. She knows what is right and is not afraid to be ‘A Little Bit Naughty’ and to take action against those who wrong her. Even though her family despises her for her love of books and stories, she is able to find other adults to share that love with.

Cle Morgan is infectiously enthusiastic as Mrs Phelps, the librarian who is thrilled by Matilda’s stories, while Lucy Maunder is sympathetic and moving as Miss Honey, the teacher who recognises Matilda’s genius, but who feels powerless to help her – at first.

Matthew Warchus’s direction and the cast’s commitment create an exhilarating, joyous show with appeal for all ages. There are too many stand out moments of wonderful story-telling and performance to list, and the standing ovation at the end of this performance suggests that other people feel the same.

For me, this truly is a theatre event that shouldn’t be missed, and I feel extremely fortunate to have access to theatre of this quality in Auckland. I encourage you to beg, borrow or steal a ticket before the show closes on 22^nd October (I’m not really encouraging theft, but you know what I mean…). Go to this show: you and your family will definitely thank you for it. 

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