Matilda the Musical Birmingham Hippodrome Review
DISCLOSURE – TICKETS TO SEE THE SHOW WERE GIFTED TO THE REVIEWER AND GUEST FOR THE PURPOSES OF WRITING THE REVIEW
Reviewed by Catherine Brown
The enchanting tale of Matilda the Musical has arrived at Birmingham Hippodrome and is a must see show for children and adults alike. With the story originally written by Roald Dahl being a childhood favourite of mine, the plot and characters were already familiar, however I was delighted to discover that the stage version adds an extra element of magic.
Matilda Wormwood is a young girl trapped in a life she doesn’t deserve. Despite being an avid reader and highly intelligent, her parents don’t value those traits, in fact they actively discourage her. She is ridiculed for reading books, rather than watching television like her older brother. Matilda finds solace at the local library where she shares her imagination and stories with the caring librarian Mrs Phelps (Esther Niles).
When it is time for Matilda to start school, her talents are spotted by the charming Miss Honey, Matilda’s class teacher played by Tessa Kadler. Sadly they are not recognised by the menacing headteacher Miss Trunchbull, who goes out of her way to make life difficult for the young children, describing them as maggots. The young cast are absolutely the stars of the show here with their initial compliance and then eventual defiance. When Bruce (played in this performance by Oisin-Luca Pegg) risks eating Miss Trunchbull’s chocolate cake, he gets one over her by managing to eat the entire thing!
During act 2 Matilda risks the wrath of her father (Adam Stafford) by encouraging him not to sell dodgy cars to the Russians. The subsequent scene where Matilda shows that reading books has allowed her to speak multiple languages was jaw dropping and revealed even more skills the talented young actress had (played on the evening I watched by Sanna Kurihara, however the role is also shared with Madison Davis, Mollie Hutton and Olivia Ironmonger). Thankfully Miss Honey is there to support Matilda and they end up helping each other to overcome their challenges with a clever intertwining of their stories.
Tim Minchin’s dry humour is evident in the music and lyrics; he has created memorable songs such as ‘Revolting Children’, ‘When I grow up’ and ‘Naughty’. All of the performers were extremely talented, however the physical comedy demonstrated by Richard Hurst as Miss Trunchbull gave the most laughs. Credit must also go to the team of young performer whose energy throughout the evening was non-stop.
It is so hard to pick my favourite scene, there were so many entertaining moments. I was particularly impressed by the choreography by Peter Darling of the scene with gymnastics equipment, as the cast had to interact with perfect timing to pull it off. The stage scenery also added to the performance with oversized swings and clever use of alphabet blocks during the school scenes. An absolutely mesmerising show that you should definitely try and get to.
Rating: 5/5
Matilda the Musical is at Birmingham Hippodrome, Hurst Street, Southside, Birmingham, B5 4TB until 2nd August before continuing to tour the country.
Tickets cost from £25 and can be purchased at Matilda The Musical – Birmingham Hippodrome or by calling the box office on 0121 689 3000.