Norwich Theatre Royal’s family show for the summer is Matilda The Musical and what a show! I couldn’t quite believe how impressive it all was.
An incredible set design: a towering jumble of alphabet blocks and book transforms the stage into a brilliant physical representation of a young child’s sprawling, curious, imaginative mind. It had many moving parts and with the cast bringing props on and off the stage within the flow of the performance it managed to provide multiple seamless scene changes which were integral to the story. It’s a dark comedy with lots of heart and a full deep story-line which truly comes to life on stage.
Matilda is a young, bright girl who loves books, tells stories with her vivid imagination and can move things with her mind. She is mocked and unloved by her crude parents and her school is ruled by the tyrannical, child-hating headmistress Miss Trunchbull. However there is the sweet Miss Honey, a teacher who recognises Matilda’s smart mind and tries to help.
It is a big cast with lots of characters and half the cast are children. The adult cast provide a brilliantly grotesque foundation of comedy. Matilda’s parents (Rebecca Thornhill and Adam Stafford) are delightfully insufferable, a glorious, neon-clad parade of absurd vanity and casual neglect. Meanwhile, the towering, terrifying presence of Miss Trunchbull (Richard Hurst) dominates the stage. Played with pitch-perfect villainy and exquisite comic timing, Trunchbull manages to be genuinely intimidating while sending the whole room into fits of laughter
The stars of the show are the young cast. They were truly marvellously talented. They were not token roles, they were fully part of the cast performing routines, singing, dancing, acting – everything – their character work was excellent.
The young actor playing Matilda (Felicity Brown) carried the weight of the entire narrative on her small shoulders with staggering poise, delivering hit numbers like “Quiet” with a captivating, still intensity that had the entire theatre leaning in.
The ensemble numbers are where the production truly explodes with energy. “The School Song,” with its mind-bendingly precise alphabet-block choreography, is a breathtaking triumph of staging. Later in Act Two, “When I Grow Up” brings a collective lump to the throat as giant swings soar out over the stage, capturing the bittersweet longing of childhood with simple, pure theatre magic. By the time the full company launched into the defiant, anthem-like “Revolting Children,” the energy was practically off the scale, driving the audience to their feet for a well-deserved standing ovation.
Matilda is a treat: a show that doesn’t talk down to its youngest audience members, nor rely on cheap nostalgia for the adults. It is fierce, funny, deeply moving, and a testament to the power of stories (and being a little bit naughty).
Very enjoyable and highly recommended.
Matilda The Musical will be at Norwich Theatre Royal until 6th September – more information here.
Photo Credits: Matt Crockett