Most Magical Matilda - part 1

Matilda - Cambridge Theatre, London, 30th November 2011

Having mentioned this show now several times in the last posts it is finally time to actually write about it. It most properly will be more rambling once again but there is sooo much I want to keep as at least a note so if you do not manage to read till the end... ;-)

There are four different Matilda's and three different teams of other kids. On the afternoon I went I had the pleasure of seeing as

Matilda - Kerry Ingram

who already played the role in Stratford-Upon-Avon and the red team which is made up of

Lavender - Jemima Eaton

Bruce - James Beesley

Nigel - Alfie Manser

Amanda - Lily Laight

Tommy - Thomas Atkinson

Eric - Toby Murray

Alice - Alicia Gould

Hortensia - Oonagh Cox

Besides the kids I had a full cast.

About the musical itself (more for myself as a mental backing ;-) - act 1 (do not continue to read if you do not want to know any possible spoilers about the show):

The show begins with a chorus of children singing a song about their mummies saying they are a “miracle” and Matilda is born to a ballroom-dancing obsessed T.V. addict Mrs. Wormwood who has troubles to understand she is about to have another child and her husband Mr Wormwood who just cannot understand that he just got a daughter and not a son and there is indeed something miraculous about the show.

“Miracle” scene is already so much fun with the kids starting to perform the number, the song is sharp, fresh with witty lyrics with the adults running around them dressed and acting as their parents, and turns then into something rather grotesque seeing Mrs Wormwood being told by the doctor (played by the radiant Tim Walton, I want to see him as Miss Turnbull!) she is already nine months pregnant, giving birth and Mr Wormwood turning up not understanding that he got a daughter and then Mrs Wormwood singing about “this being the worst day of (her) life” as she had looked forward to so much to the ballroom dancing competition and not being in hospital now and being dressed in the typical hospital clothes, the kids and the adults then finish “Miracle” all together with an incredible choreography.

Then suddenly Matilda, now a five year old, appears, singing one of the verses of “Miracle” on her own till her dad and her mum appear her mum noticing she reads a book “she must be an idiot” and “it is not normal (to read books)”. It is also the scene from when Matilda gets her idea about her story she tells throughout the show about an acrobat and an escapologist. Her parents and her brother Michael (played by an adult ....not by a child actually) really have issues with Matilda being so different and she is sent to bed where she gets the idea of being “Naughty” swapping her father's hair oil for her mother's hydrogen peroxide leaving her dad with green hair. “Naughty” is again such a witty song, the lyrics are just all so detailed with the music supporting them so perfectly, being fresh and bright- “sometimes you have to be a little bit naughty”.

In the next scene Matilda is off to the library where we meet the lovely librarian Mrs Phelps (played by Melanie La Barrie) whom Matilda tells stories to. We also meet very briefly Matilda’s soon to be teacher Miss Honey (Lauren Ward). Matilda then starts telling her story about the acrobat and the escapologist (Matthew Malthouse) who both work on the most incredible show who fall in love and are desperate to have a child but as the acrobat just does not fall pregnant they focus on coming up with the most dangerous act ever. Matilda tells the story with impersonating the characters with the two characters acting behind her and simultaneously saying the lines. Incredible.

Then Matilda finally is off to school (“School Song”). The youngsters appear from the back of the auditorium going down the middle aisle (passing by me directly) singing some lines timidly from “Miracle walking on the stage and a fence appears with the adults dresses as older students appear too.

The fence is actually then used to stick little boxes with the letters on it (you need to see it to understand properly ) spelling out the A,B, C with two guys climbing up these. This is just so smartly thought through, a bit scary, so fierce, so sharp.

And then we finally meet Miss Honey properly and her pupils and the audience is straight away smitten by her. She finds out very soon what a smart little girl Matilda is asking who knows already their two times table – well Matilda does not only impress the other pupils but also Miss Honey. (the repetition is a a bit rushed but still fun). Then it is on to read. We get to meet Nigel (“we do not want you to burst a blood vessel on your first day”) and Lavender (“Is the first word tomato?” “No, but tomato is a very good word.” “Yes” said as if hit a strike) who fail but then Matilda proves again she knows not only words but sentences and has of course read a few weeks – the books she then says she has read in a week is a bit exaggerated but that adds to the insanity of the story).

Miss Honey being just stunned by Matilda feels the urge to go to the headmistress to get her moved to the top four with the 11 year old ("Pathetic") but she is such a coward and does not dare to knock on the door. It is clear she is scared of what is behind the door and we learn what it is: It is Miss Trunchbull who sits in a room full of video surveillance equipment.

Miss Honey tries to tell Miss Trunchbull of Matilda but the headmistress dismisses Miss Honey's suggestion, whatever Miss Honey says to prove how smart Matilda is, but for Miss Trunchbull kids are just little gangsters and lectures her on the importance of adhering strictly to the rules and there cannot be any exception to them ("The Hammer"). I am not too keen on the music of this song as it is a bit blah, but again the lyrics are just full of ideas that are just ingenious with the staging and the choreography with the rest of the ensemble appear and being kinda conducted by Miss Trunchbull. Miss Honey realises Miss Trunchbull is not going to help her so she is going to do it on her own and runs away.

Back at home Mr Wormwood is frustrated about some stupid Russians takes it out on Matilda (as she faces him with some serious questions about him dishonest) ruining one of her books (“What is wrong with the telly?”, so Matilda puts superglue around the rim of his hat ("Naughty (Reprise)") and hands it over to him.

Back to school Lavender and Matilda become best friends after Lavender has challenged Matilda about her smartness and whether it would hurt to have so much brain. Matilda then learns from the older students about Miss Trunchbull's cruel punishments, including Chokey, a tiny, dank cupboard with broken glass and nails in the walls and floor that she locks naughty children in for hours on end ("The Chokey Chant") when Nigel is being blamed for doing something he didn’t do. So they hide him after a whole pile of clothes but instead of keeping him hidden Matilda actually tells Miss Trunchbull who is looking for him that he sleeps under that pile – for the last hour actually suffering from a chronic sleeping disorder. Normally you would call a kid like that smart a**e but you cannot but smile when she tells that story. Miss Trunchbull then picks on Amanda for wearing pigtails. Anyone knowing the movie will know the scene which is so fantastically and cleverly staged – am always surprised how well they actually utilised the middle aisle for the show (and I even love more my seat).

Meanwhile Mr Wormwood who still moans about his green hair and has not taken off his hat till now actually tries to take off his hat – and fails of course because of the superglue and Miss Honey decides to visit Mrs Wormwood to recommend that Matilda be put in the top class. Mrs. Wormwood only mocks Miss Honey's interest in books and intellect and tell her what a girl’s life really should be about (looks and make up) we then see a energetic striking ballroom dance performed by her and her dance partner Rudolpho (Craig Watson), an apparent half-Italian ("Loud")

Leaving the Wormwood house Miss Honey is desperate to help Matilda ("This Little Girl").

Matilda returns to the library and continues telling her story to Mrs Phelps. The acrobat is to perform this dangerous number but since she has fallen pregnant at least the escapologist calls off the number. But then the acrobat’s sister appears who insists the number is performed as there is a contract. (“A contract is a contract is a contract.”). It is funny to see how Mrs Phelps gets absorbed in the story and how disappointed that Matilda has not decided on how the story is to go on (It is just a story”).

And off we go to the final scene of the first act:

Miss Honey confesses to Matilda that she hasn’t been successful to move her to another class but she will support her by bringing in books so she can study while Miss Honey teaches the others. Miss Trunchbull then appears blaming Matilda for nicking one piece of her private chocolate cake. Bruce then confesses to the audience that he is the one who stole the cake and to see how Miss Trunchbull finds out who it really was is so vulgarly funny (“the biggest burp I ever had!”) that it had me in stitches. She decides to punish Bruce by forcing him to eat the entire cake (an inflatable plastic cake with some chocolate-y cream to get his face covered with chocolate) all by himself in front of the class, who bravely support him ("Bruce"). After Bruce has finished the cake, the class celebrates his success but Miss Trunchbull drags Bruce away for the second part of his punishment: Chokey.

To be continued in separate post.....