Following the sellout success of its first tour seven years ago, Matilda The Musical – the multi-award winning production from the Royal Shakespeare Company, has arrived at the Alhambra theatre in Bradford for a three week engagement (and continues touring theatres in the UK and Ireland until January 2027).
Based on the 1998 novel by Roald Dahl, the book, written by Dennis Kelly (whose voice can be heard on the show’s voiceover) with music by Tim Minchin, tells the story of Matilda, a young girl who, armed with a vivid imagination and a quick mind, decides to make a stand and change her own destiny.
The show has won seven Olivier Awards, which is still the most for any musical (and although Hamilton and Cabaret have since equalled that score, they haven’t beaten it); it’s been performed in more than 100 cities worldwide, won over 100 international awards and been performed more than 10,000 times to date.
The high-flying production is one of those spectacular West End musicals that the Alhambra excels in presenting, where no one will be disappointed with the visual feast and musical score before their eyes and ears. As you might expect from a Royal Shakespeare Company production, the show comes with a very polished feel.
A revolving cast of young performers
More than 130 girls have played the title role worldwide, in the show’s history. To meet with legal restrictions on young performers’ working hours, the children’s roles are shared between several actors. In this production, the role of Matilda is shared equally by Madison Davis, Mollie Hutton, Olivia Ironmonger and Sanna Kurihara; with Oisin-Luca Pegg, Carter-J Murphy, Brodie Robson and Takunda Khumalo sharing the role of Bruce.
On opening night, Matilda was played by Madison Davis, and the role of Bruce was played by Brodie Robson.
Madison Davis as Matilda was innocent and charming, with a spark of mischief too. Her mannerisms and characterisation of Matilda overall were excellent. And the other children’s performances were well received by the audience, who gave all the young stars a standing ovation at the end of the evening.
Unfortunately, though, there were a number of scenes where I struggled to pick up the dialogue from the younger performers, with many words being sung or spoken too fast, and feeling rather rushed – although this could well have been down to first night nerves.
A story of determination beating neglect
Matilda is a young girl, stuck with parents who have no interest in her. Her mother Mrs Wormwood (Rebecca Thornhill) would rather spend more time practising her Latin dance techniques with her ballroom partner Rudolpho (Ryan Lay), whilst her car salesman husband, Mr Wormwood (Adam Stafford) is more interested in trying to con his customers into buying cars from him: cars that have been tampered with to make then seem a more attractive proposition.
Both parents have terrible taste in outlandish and colourful outfits – and both look as if they have stepped out of a 1970’s sit-com. Mr Wormwood himself bears more than a passing resemblance in outlook and manners to David Jason’s Del Boy from Only Fools and Horses.
Add to that, their son, Michael (Samuel Leon) wearing a sweatshirt bearing the word ‘Genius’, when he himself is clearly anything but, and you have a very dysfunctional family, who are set in high contrast to the intelligent, book-loving Matilda.
The other members of the extraordinarily talented cast include the villainous Miss Trunchbull (Richard Hurst), who runs the school that Matilda attends. Hurst has a commanding stature, as well as some of the best ironic and comical lines of the night. He makes the perfect foil to the soft and caring temperament of teacher Miss Honey (Tessa Kadler). The contrast between the two characters was evident throughout, although, as in all good fairy tales, good always wins over evil.
A must-see show
Whilst many of the songs in the musical might not be as instantly well-known as those from some other musicals, the opening number, Miracle, is one song of many that you will still be humming away long after you have left the theatre. And next time you have a cup of tea, you can recall the song My House, where Miss Honey and Miranda share a real cup of tea and a biscuit onstage at every performance.
It’s a must-see show, with slick choreography, a strong supporting cast and plenty of special effects, which I will not spoil. A fast pace was kept up pretty much throughout, but even the quieter moments were sympathetically dealt with.
I must admit that I had never read the book or seen the film before seeing this colourful and entertaining show, so I had no preconceived ideas about what to expect. But, to pick just one particularly charming detail, the school uniform blazer badge was designed by Quentin Blake, who illustrated many of Roald Dahl’s children’s books, showing how much thought and care has gone into this production.
Matilda The Musical never tries to cover up the darker side of this compelling story of injustice and rebellion, where resilience and the power of the mind conquer in the end.
This show is yet another triumph for the Alhambra – and a true delight awaits for Yorkshire audiences. It’s a heart-warming story that will appeal to young and old alike.
Access for all at the Alhambra
There are disabled parking spaces at the southern side of the theatre, with six wheelchair spaces available inside the Alhambra. There is also a lift on the north side of the theatre to take audience members to upper floors. The theatre has wheelchair accessible and disabled toilets for customers. The theatre runs a free Access Scheme for customers who need to be accompanied and also provides assisted performances. Please refer to the Alhambra website for further information.
Matilda The Musical runs at the Alhambra Theatre, Bradford, until Sunday 23 November.
Graham Clark was a guest of the Alhambra Theatre.
