First it was a book, then a movie (directed by comedy legend Danny DeVito, no less!), then a stage musical. And now it’s a movie again! Perhaps they’ll do a novelisation to bring us full circle? In any case, the delightful Matilda the Musical is in UK cinemas now, and will be hitting Netflix on December 25, making it perfect Boxing Day coma viewing.
Based on the 1988 children’s novel by legendary author (and fighter ace and spy—he was a man of many talents) Roald Dahl, Matilda the Musical draws directly on the stage play by Tim Minchin (music and lyrics) and Dennis Kelly (book), with Kelly on screenplay duties and Matthew Warchus (Pride) directing. It tells the tale of poor, put-upon, precocious Matilda (Alisha Weir), a five-year-old whose pluckiness and intelligence are complimented by an array of weird psychic powers.
Struggling to retain her sense of self in the face of relentless abuse from her parents (Stephen Graham and Andrea Riseborough) and straight-up evil school headmistress Miss Trunchbull (Emma Thompson—but we almost got Ralph Fiennes in fine old panto tradition), she finds an ally in kindly teacher Miss Honey (Lashana Lynch, about to don spandex in The Marvels).
Which sounds a bit grim, doesn’t it? Heck, it sounds like Stephen King’s Carrie. But this is both a children’s film and a musical, so it’s a lot more fun than you might believe from the precis, even if it does retain some of the darkness inherent in Dahl’s best works. The songs are ridiculously catchy, little Alisha Weir is ridiculously charming, and the adult cast are more than game to look, well, ridiculous—Thompson seems to be having an absolute blast returning to Nanny McPhee territory in this one. Frankly, you’d have to be a bit of Twit not to glean some enjoyment from this guaranteed charmer.
