Matilda the Musical

The reviews for this show have been amazing, and I had wanted to see it since it opened in Stratford. My sister and I brought our tickets a year in advance, and had both been so excited to see this show. On leaving the theatre, we both agreed that it was completely underwhelming and that it was not worth the wait or money. I think if you have children with you, then it is perfect. It's all quite panto, and there was nothing in it that gripped my attention/that I related to. There wasn't anyone in the adult cast that really stuck out for being great (in my opinion). I know that a lot of the actors in it are VERY talented (from their previous work), and I thought it was a shame that this show didn't showcase what they can really do. The children on the other hand are quite amazing, I was really impressed with what they were doing. Although I though the direction in some scenes led them to be a little overly sickly/irritating. I understand that this is the point in some of the scenes, but I thought it was a bit too much. Miss Honey's character is completely 2D, and although I felt like they had tried to pad her out a bit, she was like a complete wet fish. I'm still unsure as to whether this was down to the actress I saw play her, or how she was written. I really like the film, but the musical is quite different... Not necessarily in a bad way though. The songs are all okay, some are quite clever, but I thought that all in all they were a bit Vanilla. The opening was strong, but other than that there wasn't any 'wow' moments. The set was really good, I liked how bright and colourful it was. The story went on for a bit too long in my opinion, and I also thought that some scenes were completely un-needed, namely most of the Escapologist's scenes in act 2. I would not see this show again, and I would not recommend anyone to see it.

I had wanted to see Matilda for many years, and wasn't remotely disappointed after finally doing so. This is a family friendly Musical that is full of humour (recommended for ages 6+). There is some content that may perhaps go over children’s heads, but nothing that is unsuitable. The performances in the show were all outstanding, especially the children, who were all completely on point. Eva-Marie Saffrey played the part of Matilda at the performance that I attended, and she was a total revelation. The songs (Music and Lyrics by Tim Minchin) were all deliciously wordy and quirky and fitted the narrative perfectly (book by Dennis Kelly). The stage design and sets were ingenious, with the motif of children's wooden building blocks used repeatedly throughout (and throughout the auditorium). The wooden backdrops made the large splashes of colour stand out vividly and gave the whole production a wonderful 'storybook' feel. The show is a delight from start to finish, so much so, that I didn't want it to end. I would urge all theatre lovers to see this show at least once. What may be considered a children’s show, is in fact a heartwarming tale of childhood that everyone should be able to take something from.

Roald Dahl’s timeless story of everyone’s favourite bookworm burst into the West End in 2011 and continues to wow audiences both in London and across the globe. Dennis Kelly and Tim Minchin have successfully transposed the characters from page to stage with consideration and respect to Dahl’s original book whilst injecting it with a score of songs that you’ll be humming for weeks. The complex sets were effortlessly interchanged and helped land the audience right in the room with Matilda as she struggled to see eye to eye with her materialistic parents and her devilish new head teacher. Yet the respectful script, endearing songs and sublime stage production takes a back row seat when compared with the phenomenal talent of the cast. There wasn’t a single moment where one of the children missed a cue, stammered a line or dropped out of character for even a second. I know this is the West End and professionalism is everything but most of those kids are under 12. At times it’s easy to forget their acting. As for Matilda herself, to be able to act, sing and dance that well for a whole show is just remarkable. Her timing and stage presence was as good as other critically acclaimed performers that are twenty years older than her. The standing audience at the end of the show clapped and cheered, all whilst shaking their heads as they wondered how someone so young can be so talented. It’s not right!

What else can I say about the show? Simply impressive! The colourful magical set attracted my eyes the first time I entered the theatre and it is still the most amazing thing I've seen. The plot itself has more fancy and complicated bits been added, and the story within the show exposes a big secret at the end and it was rather scary and unexpected to me when I first saw it. The kids are all so talented and professional, really don't seem like bunch of 10-year-olds! Perfect show for a family theatre trip.

Ms Trunchball and that is all. Absolutely phenomenal casting and production as a whole. The actress playing Miss Honey was also fantastic but the biggest props has to go to the children within the production who worked their socks off. The staging was well done with little details here and their main the production as flawless as it was. The theatre is decorated from the moment you step into the doors with little signet Matilda possession, the bar decorated with the children writing on chalkboard plaques. The lighting was beautiful and made everything that little bit clearer. Overall the production was phenomenal and a must see in my opinion.

Matilda has always been a book, movie and now a musical that has held such a special piece of my heart. Growing up, Miss Honey was the person I wanted to be, she emitted everything good in this world and she was the friend I needed. Then when I went to see the musical, the expectations I had for the role of Miss Honey were unfairly high. However, I saw Biancha Szynal bring this character to life so perfectly in front of me and I sat in the theatre, on my own and cried. Biancha's portrayal of such an important character was flawless! I couldn't fault her even if I tried and I wouldn't want to! Biancha wasn't just playing Miss Honey, she was Miss Honey. Such amazing singing and perfect acting! I fully intend to go back and see Biancha as Miss Honey again! The whole cast were so perfectly suited for their roles and I absolutely loved every second, but because Miss Honey is so special to me, this role stuck out the most and I'm so happy I was lucky enough to see it for myself.

This is the second time I have seen Matilda, and I actually liked it less than the first time! I absolutely adore the children, the technical aspects and the genius songs, but I find there to be some lacklustre performances amongst the adult leads. Craig Els is a sensational Miss Trunchbull, however, and provides a LOT of laughs. This particular Matilda is brilliant, as is Bruce Bogtrotter. It's a show that's totally worth seeing, as it's one of the best technical shows in the West End right now. I think it's perhaps better to see the show on a weekend, rather than midweek.

The show was magnificent, we won lottery tickets so had great seats didn't really know the story so was drawn in to the story all the characters was superbly larger than life including of course Miss Trunchbull. It was funny and also had its poignant moments little Matilda was fantastic as were all the children will definitely see it again soon.

The whole cast where excellent. The children are fantastic throughout the show. The photo was before the performance when people where standing up. Once sat down it was a clear view.