REVIEW: Roald Dahl’s Matilda The Musical Proves Even If You’re Little You Can Do A Lot
In 2011, the world was, once again, introduced to Roald Dahl’s beloved little heroine, Matilda Wormwood in what would become the hit West End musical, Matilda the Musical. Directed by Matthew Warchus, with music and lyrics by Tim Minchin and a book by Dennis Kelly, the musical was based on the hit Roald Dahl book, Matilda. Born into a family who didn’t understand her, Matilda didn’t let that stop her. Using her wit and her never-ending love of stories, Matilda would find ways to outsmart her family and escape the real world with the hopes of one day finally going to school. When her dream finally comes true, Matilda finds that school might not be as great as it seems when your school’s headmistress is the horrid Miss Trunchbull. However, Matilda won’t let that stop her and she will do whatever it takes to protect herself, her school mates, and her teacher, Ms. Honey from all that try to hurt them.
After the success of the musical, Netflix earned the rights to adapt the musical into a full fledge movie. With Warrchus on board to direct, Minchin back to handle the music and lyrics, and Kelly handling the screenplay, Road Dahl’s Matilda the Musical is now set to hit the streaming platform this Holiday season. However, there are a number of big changes in store that might not appease the fans of the beloved musical. The biggest thing to note are the musical changes. All of the big numbers that fans of the musical fell in love with, including “Naughty” and “When I Grow Up”, made the cut, but a number of songs sung by the secondary characters were left out of the mix including “This Little Girl” sung by Miss Honey and “Telly” by Mr. Wormwood and Matilda’s brother, Michael. The other change to the music was the reworking of some of those big numbers. Both “Revolting Children” and “Miracle” had some notable changes in them that fans of the musical will notice immediately. For those who have not seen the musical, rest assure you will love all the musical numbers and have a number of songs that stuck in your head when all is said and done.
The story of Matilda, whether it was the book, musical, or the 1996 movie, focused not only on Matilda’s relationship with Miss Trunchbull, wonderfully played by Emma Thompson in this adaptation, but her relationship with her family and with Miss Honey (played by Lashana Lynch). In this movie, those relationships take a backseat, especially her relationship with her family. You see blips of her parents being mean to her throughout the movie but are never fully able to grasp just how awful they are. Her brother is left out the the musical completely, which is a tad bit disappointing. And Matilda’s relationship with Miss Honey lacks any real development. There wasn’t enough meat to this aspect of the story to make viewers believe that Miss Honey and Matlida truly loved one another, which is a shame because that is one of the best parts of the original story.
Alisha Weir steps in to play Matilda and is absolutely fantastic in the role. Whether it be a scene where she is commanding the stage whilst telling Mrs. Phelps (Sindhu Vee) the thrilling tale of the Acrobat and the Escapologist or a scene where she is revolting against Miss Trunchbull, her performance keeps you captivated until the very end. Lynch steps in to play the sweet Miss Honey and does well alongside Weir. However, as I noted above, I wish there as more depth to her character. This character is well developed in both the book and the musical, but here she gets pushed to the back burner. Vee’s Mrs. Phelps ended up being one of my favorite characters in the movie. Mrs. Phelps is a character that perfectly brings to life the exact reactions the audience has as they watch Matilda tell her death defining story of the Acrobat and the Escapologist.
Road Dahl’s Matilda the Musical manages to capture the magic of Matilda in an entirely different way than the original musical. From its amazing choreography to the over-the-top performances, audiences young and old will find something to like about the new movie. Just remember, this is not the musical nor is it the 1996 movie. This is a different interpretation, not better or worse. I suggest, though, going in with an open mind if you are a fan of either previous iteration and let Weir and her cast mates bring to life this fun, familiar story.
Grade: B+