MATILDA THE MUSICAL | UK TOUR @ EDINBURGH PLAYHOUSE
★★★★
“A class act of musical magic for all the family…”
The ‘revolting’ children of Crunchem Hall may well ensure that their nemesis, Miss Agatha Trunchbull, gets her comeuppance by the end of the Matilda The Musical, but there’s little doubt Richard Hurst’s monstrous headmistress is the towering triumph of this touring production of the RSC’s smash hit show.
Based on Roald Dahl’s much-loved 1988 novel, with book by Dennis Kelly and music and lyrics by Tim Minchin, Matilda tells the story of an extraordinary little girl with a love for books who overcomes an unhappy home-life by escaping into a world of storytelling while using her intelligence to outwit her tyrannical headmistress, all with the help of kind-hearted librarian, Miss Phelps, and inspirational teacher, Miss Honey.
It’s certainly an eye-catching production from the off, Rob Howell’s set design, a glorious celebration of literacy, is inspired and potently brought to life by Hugh Vanstone’s spectacular lighting design.
Revelling in the opportunity to terrorise his young charges, Hurst’s turn as Trunchbull is the standout performance of the production. Perfectly pitched and with the odd nod and a wink to the audience he makes the harridan almost sympathetic, never more so than in the number, The Smell of Rebellion, a set-piece in which his show-stealing physicality is worth the ticket price alone and, rightly, receives the biggest roar off the night.
The Smell of Rebellion is one of three musical highlights from Minchin, along with the swinging When I Grow Up and the jubilant Revolting Children, which allows the young ensemble to show just how talented they are. And talking of the young stars, in the title role Madison Davis is seldom off-stage as the precocious bookworm, a part shared by Mollie Hutton, Olivia Ironmonger and Sanna Kurihara in rotation. Likewise, the role of Bruce, an energetic Carter-J Murphy on press night, is shared throughout the run by Oisin-Luca Pegg, Brodie Robson and Takunda Khumalo.
Of the adult principals, the always amazing Rebecca Thornhill is wickedly fun as the ballroom-dancing Mrs Wormwood, a self-centred mother devoid of maternal instinct. She forms a perfectly grotesque double-act with Adam Stafford who, in turn, brings an engaging silliness to Matilda’s dodgy second-hand car dealing father. Other notable performances come from Tessa Kadler, a sensitive and tender Miss Honey, and Esther Niles, a wonderfully wide-eyed and warm Mrs Phelps.
Throughout, Peter Darling’s masterful and physically thrilling choreography is rigorously drilled and exuberantly executed. Matthew Warchus’ assured direction ensures that when the production does occasional drift into the realms of over-sentimental and self-indulgence it quickly recovers, while never never losing Dahl’s obsession with the grimmer iniquities of life.
Uplifting, laugh out loud funny with just the right measure of darkness, Matilda The Musical is a class act for all the family.
Full tour details and tickets HERE
