Friday, 6 September 2013

Matilda the Musical, Cambridge Theatre



It was a girls’ night out on Tuesday as myself, my mother and my grandmother all went to the theatre! 

As an 82nd birthday present we spent the evening at Matilda the Musical, which had been recommended to me by so many that I was now itching to see it.

Before the performance even began, I was blown away by the set design. Either side and above the stage were waves of scrabble-like tiles, which look random at first, but as you wait in your seat, you start to pick out words amongst them, which all have profound importance to the storyline.

A member of the crew came out on to the stage and announced why this particular night was so special. Not only was it the first night of the season with a brand new adult and child cast, but it was the debut West End performance for the new Matilda, Miss Lollie McKenzie. In the first scene, set at a birthday party, a chorus of children sang “My Mummy says I’m a miracle”, whilst performing a complex choreography routine. Suddenly the lights dimmed, the birthday table split in two and out of it emerged the cutest and possibly smallest actress I have ever seen. Not only was she adorable but unbelievably professional throughout, right up to the last bow. All of those songs and all of those lines – even some in Russian! She is certainly a star of the future. In fact, all of the children in the cast were exceptional. They worked just as hard as the adults, if not harder!

For me, Tim Minchin’s music made Matilda. Full of his signature energy and wordplay, I love the School Song, where he wrote the alphabet into the lyrics (see them here).

A wonderful production, and it was so lovely to see something that could be enjoyed by all three generations. Make sure you see it too :)

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