WORTH A LOOK?: ****
WHERE: Cambridge Theatre
WHEN: 28/1 booking to 29/5
Our £40 tickets for this were bought via the Society of London Theatre’s Get Into London Theatre promotion which runs to 12 February, meaning we received £16 off each.
Matilda the Musical is the Royal Shakespeare Company’s production of Roald Dahl’s book with lyrics and music by Tim Minchin and directed by new Old Vic artistic director Matthew Warchus. It won seven Oliviers and five Tonys.
It opened at the Cambridge Theatre in November 2011 and original evil headmistress Miss Trunchbull (Bertie Carvel) made the successful switch to Broadway in 2013. The story involves our titular heroine whose love of books mean she is ridiculed by her parents yet she discovers telekinetic powers and a kinship with a shy teacher.
School is a subject which everyone has in common and the songs here (particularly When I Grow Up, Revolting Children and Telly) are memorable and fun. Matilda the Musical has undergone many cast changes since its West End debut but we’re pleased to report it’s in safe hands with its current cast. Craige Els is still fabulously memorable as the show’s baddie.
We didn’t love it quite as much as the packed audience featuring many children on a Thursday night in January here. But it’s still quite a mischievously naughty look at childhood which anyone with memories of school is likely to enjoy.
