Another Roald Dahl success story, Matilda has moved from children's story to film and now to the musical stage. The zingy little story of a brilliant girl subjected to stupid parents and an abusive school master is a perfect setting for a London West End show. The Cambridge Theatre is one of the newer theatres in London, having been completed in 1930. Because of the newness, it does not have the expected charm and ornate quality of most theatres in London. It does have, however, a little more space between rows which is quite comforting for those with long legs. We settled into our seats in the Grand Circle (first balcony) and knew immediately we were in for a jolly ride.
The stage was elaborately surrounded by school blocks of letters in various sizes, shapes, and font styles. It was a bold, borderline sarcastic perhaps look of an elementary classroom. The irony of the stage is that the little girl is a brilliant child whose knowledge of letters, sentences, and books is way beyond that of elementary children. The fun and rather bizarre story of Matilda is in keeping with many stories by Roald Dahl. On the surface, his plots are rather tame and predictable but underneath is another world of mystery, of fantasy, of darkness, and of magic that keeps returning in different forms. Such is the case of Matilda as well.
The show started with a bang and stayed at a high level most of the time with an energetic aura that glowed from beginning to end. The children were fun, full of electrical energy with their singing and dancing and fear of the school master (who was actually a very large, ugly mistress I think, or not!) as they collectively sought vengeance on her evil ways. Meanwhile they loved their cute, blond, innocent teacher who championed their cause and took special care with each student. Okay, not all that realistic but it gets worse!
If we deal with this realistically (which is neither right nor fair), nothing really makes sense. Even the most brilliant little girl in the world could not read 9 major works of literature in a weekend and learn to speak Russian by reading Dostoevsky in its original language. Furthermore, are there parents that amazingly stupid as to criticize reading and extol the virtues of the telly (television) while wearing absurd, wildly colorful clothing? A woman surely knows when she is 9 months pregnant and not just fat and a new father must know why the child has no "thingy!" Plus no school master is that horrible and a girl cannot be thrown by her pigtails up to the ceiling and fall back down. None of that makes sense and is all rather campy and silly. And furthermore, a smart girl is not necessarily a wizard as well and can perform magic with her eyes. So, really, the show should be outright rejected for its absurdity.
Instead, Matilda is a fun, fantastical, and frantic show that provides unabashed and uninhibited entertainment for all ages. Imaginative set designs that included massive rolling bookshelves in the library, rising desks from the stage, laser lights from the spots, and various contraptions on the wall of Matilda's bedroom. All these and more created a shimmering, magical world that enhanced the image of Matilda's engaging personality and superior intellect. She was special just like the world around her and by clever manipulation she would alter her environment to make the world a better place. The visual eye catching gimics on stage were well-done with all the smoothness expected of a West End show. Colorful, fast moving, intriguing, complicated yet child-like, the stage was always on the go, leaving the audience breathless in anticipation of the next great change.
The remarkable set design and fast-paced action was matched by the rollicking and kicking music score. With a small orchestra, typical for most West End shows, that included a trapset and bass, the music zipped along with a high sense of energy leaning on the rock music side but in a child or early teenager style. But just the audience felt we had entered some kind of Disney show, the next song would sound rather classically folk with a romantic beauty. Then suddenly Matilda's crazy parents would arrive singing a bizarre contemporary pop tune about their strange lives and absurd philosophies. The brilliant, almost pattern song based on the ABC's demonstrated how physical objects on stage can be directly integrated into the text. It was a remarkable song for teaching letters and words but was simply part of the whole as every song was captivating in its own way and style. The music was all great fun, comical, powerful, and magnetic as the audience got pulled into the sound and the music on stage.
So we have an evil and very ugly schoolmaster, a sweet teacher, lots of eager children, absurd and inane parents, great music, wonderful sets, amazing lights, hints of magic, what more is there? The show relies on a talented Matilda and this is what we got. When asked what she had read over the weekend, she listed several books such as Nicholas Nickleby, Ivanhoe, The Secret Garden, Great Expectations, Jane Eyre, Oliver Twist, and Tess of the d'Urbervilles. She held the enraptured audience in the palm of her hand through the whole show as we marveled at her intellect, championed her mischief against her parents, and cheered for her victories at the end. In the midst of this story, she tells another story that ends up being the truth about the sweet teacher. By the end, everything came together, the mob decided not to maim Matilda's worthless father, the evil schoolmaster disappeared, and all lived happily ever after.
It was simply a great, fun show deserving of high rewards. Profound not, campy yes, absurd and unrealistic, even outrageous at times, Matilda hits the right spot for those looking for some entertainment with class, for a bright shining star among the gloom, and for those moments when we put aside the tensions of the world and realize that it is okay to laugh and to sing, and maybe, just maybe, the acts of laughing and singing can become a part of our daily lives.
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