The Fox Theater welcomed the winner of more than 50 international awards and Broadway’s latest hit, “Matilda the Musical,” which has stolen the hearts of fans everywhere. The story, based on Roald Dahl’s incredible book and that so many of us grew up with, captures the daunting and courageous Matilda.
Visually, “Matilda” is a masterpiece. The colorful alphabets, her parent’s house, and the library that she visited were all staged so well. It created a believable environment inspired from the book. One of the sets that stood at the most was in the opening, which featured letters all around the stage with hidden words that described Matilda’s life story. It was like a crossword that kept the audience engaged through the intermission. Another stand-out was the performance of the iconic scene of Bruce Bogtrotter eating cake. It was incredible how the musical managed to use a large number of props and characters to show the progression while he was eating.
One of the most interesting parts of the entire play was the change in storyline. Some interesting additions were made to the original story, such as a plotline involving the Russian Mafia and the story of a circus actor and his wife. While these additions seemed a little out of place at first, they eventually fit into the overall plot.
The plot also dragged near the beginning and the end. It took a while for the characters to establish themselves and for the entire musical to come to a conclusion. Several scenes, such as the scenes in Churchem Hall and Matilda’s school and the scenes with Miss Honey, felt like they needed more attention and time.
One scene that was completely exempt from the musical was that of Matilda and Miss Honey sneaking into Ms. Trunchbull’s house to get some things that previously used to be Matilda’s. The scene, which was a personal favorite from book and although it may not have had great musical capabilities, was dearly missed.
The best part of the entire musical was definitely the incredibly talented and well trained cast. The actors who portrayed Ms. Trunchbull and Matilda did an amazing job and gave the entire play dimension and vigor. The flair of the supporting actors was definitely portrayed in the scenes at school. Overall, each act illustrated Matilda as a person and her life in a very unique way.
Tim Minchin’s music and lyrics, Matthew Warchus’ direction, Peter Darlings’ choreography and, of course, the tremendously talented cast, all came together to create this magical “Matilda the Musical.”
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