A fabulous set allows great animation and energy in Matilda the Musical; Photo James Morgan
The opening line of Matilda the Musical – ‘My mummy says I’m a miracle’ – could very well be its own prophesy. This musical will not only be box office miracle, but to pull off a production with a rotating cast of 29 children, that is choreographically complex and manages to snag adult audiences equally as children, is a miracle indeed.
Following rave productions in London and New York, Australian audiences have eagerly awaited the Tony and Olivier award-winning musical that ​adapts Roald Dahl’s 1988 book – Matilda is now in town and will be staying until February.
Yorkshire-born director Matthew Warchus, who developed Matilda the Musical, however was not in Sydney for the opening. Having recently taken the helm of London’s Old Vic Theatre Company, he is in last rehearsals for Future Conditional, a stage version of Groundhog Day, also with songs by Tim Minchin, and is in pre-production for the screen adaptation of Matilda, due to start filming late 2016.
It made little impact, however. With Dennis Kelly’s masterly woven Dahl text for stage, Tim Minchin’s stamp with music and lyrics, energetic and attitude-laced choreography by Peter Darling and sets that create an enchanting nostalgia and literary prompt by Rob Howell – this production was water tight for success.
It returns us to that line – ‘My mummy says I’m a miracle’ – used by many with a kind of blinkered paternal glow. Matilda Wormwood is the real miracle of this story, the five-year old child prodigy who chews through several books a day of the likes of Dostoyevsky and Dickens, speaks Russian and has the maturity to shoulder injustice.
She is played by four girls, Molly Barwick, Sarah Rse, Georgia Taplin, Bella Thomas, Thomas taking the lead on opening night with her own ‘miracle’ touch, superbly balancing an introversion and confidence.
It is a tough role for any actress to pull off and one that could send the production spiraling. But Thomas nailed it superbly.
Bella Thomas played a convincing Matilda on opening night; supplied
From the outset the production has high-octane energy and a delightful irreverence that sits just short of sliding, exclusively, into the domain of burp jokes and schoolyard antics.
When you think of a production that rotates around the roles of nine children, and with repeated whiny lines like, ‘It’s not right’, one could be skeptical of the enjoyment factor for adult audiences.
As someone who is self-confessed as non-maternal, I still had Minchin’s tunes in my head for days. The woman sitting next to me laughed more than her daughter, who appeared of like age to Matilda, and with lines like ‘my front bottom is smarting’, delivered by Matilda’s ballroom dancing prima donna mother after giving birth, the bravado of this production also has subtle moments.
It is not all ‘brattish’ fun moments; there are tensions across this musical that point to the injustice of childhood and inevitable disappointments of growing up.
Marika Aubrey and Daniel Frederiksen, as Matilda’s parents, play their roles to the full – spitefully nasty and self-interested, deliciously crass, and the antithesis of Matilda’s brilliance. Aubrey and Frederiksen are great anchors to the production.
Matilda repeatedly reminds her father ‘I’m a girl!’, finding solace at the library where she delivers a parallel story to librarian Mrs Phelps, played by an expressive Cle Morgan, sowing the musical’s message of the wonder of storytelling and reading.
This tale-within-a-tale is a diversion to Dahl’s original book and one wonders (despite its circus magic edge) whether it adds confusion for younger audiences.
But escapism is the underlying message laced across Matilda the Musical.
‘When I grow up’ is a song with infectious ‘stickability’ and signature Minchin phrasing. Sung with the warm-hearted, yet equally vulnerable, Miss Honey, Matilda’s teacher played by Elise McCann, it opens the second act superbly.
The nemesis of Miss Honey – and indeed all the students at Crunchem Hall – is former Olympic hammer thrower and tyrant, Miss Turnchbull, played by James Millar. The comic delivery and costume was a little heavy handed, compromising a more sinister evil character than Dahl imagined, however Millar’s delivery was well applauded.
This production falls down slightly in its convoluted tale trying to weave the sub-story with that of Dahls’ – a clairvoyant Matilda having told Miss Honey’s childhood story to librarian Mrs Phelps, of a love-child of circus performers to be killed by an evil sister none other than Miss Turnchbull. Confused?
Maybe this is where I adopt Kelly and Minchin’s line ‘It’s not right’.
Choreography and costumes – and a good dose of chocolate cake – sees kiddies determination override the evil Miss Truncham; supplied
The musical however is little flawed. The use of Howell’s sets is energetic and nimble, the floating looming ‘scrabble-like’ letters capturing a sense of a world over-scaled for a child – playful but also overwhelming.
Howell has managed to flip the set from school to library to Matilda’s bedroom with ease, while Darling’s choreography maximizes Howell’s set to perfection.
Of note is a scene of students climbing the school gate with letters locking in as steps, which is just brilliant; another is a use of swings flying out over the audience.
Having the pupils of Crunchem Hall played by both the children and adults adds to the roguish energy.
While the grown-ups play strong leads, it’s the 29 children that share nine roles that are the real ‘miracles’.
Ethan Puse’s Bruce, pint-sized Paris Naumovski’s Amanda, Ewan Herdman’s Nigel and Shanice Lim’s Lavender, all had moments to shine against the strong casting of Matilda, and it was palpably clear this was a tight cast.
The stage was there’s with the final song: ‘We are revolting children / living in revolting times / We sing revolting songs / using revolting rhymes.’
While catchy and funny, this is a production that captures the hearts of all despite age. Go on, be a kid again for an hour or two – you wont be disappointed.
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Roald Dahl’s Matilda the Musical
Lyric Theatre at The Star
Pirrama Road, Pyrmont (Sydney)
Director: Matthew Warchus
Resident Director: Tanya Goldberg
Book: Dennis Kelly
Music and Lyrics: Tim Minchin
Choreography: Peter Darling
Resident Choreographer: Brendan Yeates
Sets & Costume Design: Rob Howell
Lighting Design: Hugh Vanston
