Review: Matilda
 |
| It's not a dream; Matilda really is as good as you've heard. |
The producers of the American premiere of the
Olivier-winning smash hit Matilda have
done themselves a great disservice by allowing the musical to be marketed as a
children’s show. True, there is nothing
anyone but the most overprotective parents would find in the least bit
offensive, but there is more wit, intelligence, and invention in this adaptation
of the Roald Dahl novel than in any other Broadway musical of the season. This is a show of supreme sophistication
which dares to actually challenge its young audience rather than speak down to
them, and offers as many if not more pleasures for the adults lucky enough to
find themselves in the audience.
Like the book on which it’s based, the musical follows the
misadventures of precocious 5-year-old Matilda as she begins her first year of
school. Unwanted by her vapid and emotionally
abusive parents – her father refuses to even acknowledge her gender, repeatedly
referring to her as “boy” – Matilda has taken solace in reading and study. Her incredible intelligence immediately
catches the attention of her meek but kind-hearted teacher, Miss Honey, who
quietly vows to do everything she can to help Matilda reach her extraordinary
potential. Unfortunately the
headmistress of Matilda’s school is the villainous Miss Trunchbull, whose motto
“Bambinatum est Maggitum" (“Children Are Maggots”) tells you everything
you need to know about why her presence is a problem.
The libretto by Dennis Kelly is a bravura piece of
theatrical writing, establishing the show’s off-kilter tone with such
assuredness that you buy into it immediately.
Simultaneously oversized and understated, the characters inhabit a realm
of magical realism that is utterly fascinating without losing the feeling of
familiarity. Kelly has gifted his
hyper-literate lead and her cohorts with some of the sharpest dialogue to grace
the musical stage in years, and Matilda’s
unending amount of wordplay and dry humor is positively delicious. Kelly has also created a framing device in
which Matilda tells the local librarian serialized fragments of a seemingly
inconsequential story that slowly illuminate the quirky intelligence of his
heroine and her feelings about the series of mishaps she finds herself in. And on top of everything else, Kelly also
manages to work in some rather biting satire of modern-day parenting without distracting
from the main narrative, giving the show an added layer of social commentary on
top of its already full plate.
The songs by Tim Minchin are equally inventive. In fact, one of the few knocks against the
show is that between the lightning-fast tempos and the sometimes shrill
registers of the children’s ensemble, it is almost impossible to fully
comprehend Minchin’s incredibly playful lyrics.
It’s never enough of a problem that it obscures the story, but the
lyrics you do catch are so damned clever you can’t help but feel like you’re
missing out on something worth hearing.
Musically, the score is light and bouncy, with a few tender ballads
thrown in to keep things fresh. Minchin
hasn’t written an enormous number of songs for Matilda, but what is present perfectly balances with Kelly’s
dynamite libretto and the needs of the narrative.
Matthew Warchus elevates this already strong material to the
next level through his ingenious direction, which keeps the show moving and
visual interest high. He effortlessly
conjures up feelings of dread or elation as the situation dictates, and at multiple
points his staging is genuinely jaw-dropping (special praise must be given to
Matilda’s arrival at her appropriately ominous school, which left me speechless). Warchus is aided and abetted by the
incredible word-tile set of Rob Howell, which has exploded well beyond the
confines of the Shubert Theatre stage and taken over the entire
auditorium. If you somehow find yourself
bored by the onstage action (an unlikely scenario, to be sure), spotting the
thematically important words carefully hidden among the scenery is
entertainment onto itself, and this exceptionally versatile set seamlessly
transforms into whatever is required.
Matilda is such a
stellar example of strong writing and direction that it’s easy to underrate the
contributions of the cast, which is uniformly excellent. Four young actresses share the title role,
and if they are all as effortlessly enchanting as young Oona Laurence (who
played the performance I saw), we have four future stars on our hands. There is a nuance and understated complexity
to her Matilda that is rarely seen in actors so young, and she effortlessly
carries the show on her petite shoulders.
Laurence is complimented by the insanely talented collection of child
actors playing her classmates, whose abounding energy has been perfectly
harnessed by Warchus and choreographer Peter Darling to create the most
gleefully unique bunch of misfits on the Great White Way. The children’s numbers, of which there are
many, are more cleanly executed than those in musicals with adult casts, and
not because Darling has dumbed down his steps for the young performers. These kids are blissfully unaware of how
difficult what they’re doing truly is, and their energy is completely infectious.
The adults are thankfully just as good. Lauren Ward gives a pitch perfect performance
as the meekly maternal Miss Honey, beautifully complimenting Matilda’s yearning
for love and acceptance with her own. In
addition to sounding lovely, Ward brings exactly the kind of warm, calming
presence the role demands. But it’s the
antagonists that get to have the real fun, and all of the nasty adults in
Matilda’s life make scenery chewing meals out of their delightfully daffy
roles. As Matilda’s neglectful parents,
Lesli Margherita and Gabriel Ebert are utterly despicable and yet endlessly entertaining. The pair has managed to add enough venom to
their performances to be effective without being so harsh that their antics
become tiring, and both bring excellent comic timing to their respective
roles. And as Matilda’s impossibly
stupid older brother, Taylor Trensch turns his monosyllabic lines into comedy
gold.
Towering over everyone else in the cast is Bertie Carvel’s
absolutely magnificent turn as Miss Trunchbull, the Olympic-level hammer
thrower and headmistress of Matilda’s school.
Carvel’s every hand gesture, facial tic, and change in inflection is
completely compelling, a master class in character acting that completely
disguises the performer underneath. Although
Carvel’s dressed in drag, with no real effort made to disguise that fact, you
instantly believe that he is
Trunchbull, thanks to the combination of his unequaled commitment and magnetic
stage presence. It’s difficult to say this
perfectly balanced show would be better by adding more of Carvel, but every
time the actor leaves the stage you eagerly anticipate his next appearance.
Although imported from London’s West End, everything about Matilda screams Broadway. It is a show where absolutely everyone
involved is working at the highest possible level, from the writers and
performers to the production team and the expert craftsmen responsible for the
gorgeously detailed sets and costumes.
While the smallest theatregoers may be too young to fully appreciate the
brilliance of Matilda, it is a show
that can be enjoyed by everyone from age 8 to 80 and beyond. It is one of the few British transfers that
full delivers on the lofty expectations created by its pre-opening buzz, and is
not to be missed.
