Roald Dahl’s Matilda the Musical is an adaption of the classic children’s Novel by the British Author, that finds an ambitious and talented little girl, Matilda, amidst the clenches of strict and evil school headmistress Agatha Trunchbull. The one-hour fifty-six minutes movie is written and directed by Dennis Kelly and Matthew Warchus respectively and features Alisha Weir in the titular role.
The complete cast of the film includes Lashana Lynch, Stephen Graham, Andrea Riseborough and Emma Thompson. Moreover, Tat Radcliffe serves as the cinematographer, Tim Minchin and Christopher Nightingale provide the songs and original score, while Melanie Oliver heads the editing department for the musical.
The official synopsis of the film reads as
An extraordinary girl with a sharp mind and a vivid imagination takes a daring stand to change her story — with miraculous results. Meet Matilda.
-Roald Dahl’s Matilda the Musical Review Does Not Contain Spoiler-
There is a scene in the first half of the film, where Matilda (played by Alisha Weir) takes her first class in the school, and finds the board filled with some partial fraction questions of mathematics (meant for students of higher grades). This immediately makes one of her classmates whimper in pain, who can’t seem to comprehend the extent of the math equation. And later requires assistance from the class teacher Miss Honey, to finally get back to his senses.
The entire scene lasts for maybe two minutes but reignites the eternal trauma of maths inside me (Although the musical is an imagination of all sorts, this moment, in particular, is literally zero exaggeration).
Roald Dahl’s Matilda the Musical is a self-improving tale of standing up to the bully and facing your worst nightmares, in a head-on style. The story revolves around a young girl named Matilda, who is neglected by her parents, to the point of no affection. Followed by her admission inside a day boarding school, headed by a cruel and intolerant Agatha Trunchbull (played with peak versatility by Emma Thompson), who prefers to treat children like maggots.
The revolting spirit of Matilda forms the core part of the story, along with numerous musical numbers, recurring at each and every (sometimes not so vital) instance. To be fair, I did not get into the feel of the film right from the start, and it took me a while, to actually enjoy the music in its own essence of maturity.
There have been so many adaptations of Roald Dahl’s novels and plays, that it’s so hard to differentiate between the quality of the renditions. However, there is a sense of originality in this flick, that just takes its own time to shine. Plus, the mature and responsive actions of a five-year-old don’t feel odd/unconvincing, which is another highlight of this rebellious flick.
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The element of fun is present at the root of the musical. And finds its way to the screen, from time to time. There are many eccentric parts in the movie (ponytail kid being thrown like a hammer, another being forced to finish an entire chocolate cake in one sitting) that manage to revive the much-needed idiosyncrasy in films made for children.
Emma Thompson remains the biggest takeaway for me, with her splendidly evil performance of the orthodox headmistress. The British actress perfectly locks in the classic character, and nails it to complete perfection. Trunchbull is pure evil, vile and insane, but a pure joy to watch when Thompson portrays her with such sincerity.
Roald Dahl’s Matilda the Musical Final Thoughts
If you have an affinity for musicals that get better with time, then this fun-filled little rebellion, filled with strong moralistic points, is a nice and comfortable watch.
You can watch it on Netflix. Let us know your thoughts about it in the comment section below.