REVIEW: Matilda the Musical | Crown Theatre

Matlida the Musical

Review by Susie Conte

3.3.17

I came into the theatre to watch this very famous, successful show, fresh from worldwide tours and awards, with a particular sense of expectation. I must have read the book to my children dozens of times, and loved the movie with my kids. Based on the book by Roald Dahl, this is a story of a brilliant 5 year old girl who dreams of a better life, armed with a vivid imagination, a sharp mind, and a little bit of magic.

The stage is set with books and scrabble pieces, words and letters, designed by Rob Howell. A buzz of kids’ voices fills the air, trying to spell out the words in the set, words like ‘maggot’ (the buzzword from the book) and ‘burp’ (another Roald Dahl favourite). My 10 year old son, my date for the night, was so excited for the show to start.

For the Perth season, four girls, Izellah Connelly, Annabella Cowley, Venice Harris, and Eva Murawski were chosen to share the role of Matilda. Months of rehearsals were required. For opening night, our Matilda was played by Eva Murawski, in her professional debut, but looking like seasoned young actress.

The show begins with a bang, a song called “Miracle,” each kid boasting of their own uniqueness to their parent’s delight. Matilda’s parents do not subscribe to this idea. Kids are pointless, and certainly shouldn’t be educated. Mr Wormwood (Daniel Frederiksen) doesn’t want another child, let alone a girl, and Mrs Wormwood (Marika Aubrey) is a social climber who wants to be famous, and the birth of Matilda gets in the way of her salsa contest. They are brash and horrendous, as all Dahl adults are.

Murawski has to sing, dance, act and also carry massive monologues. She is a pint-sized delight, tough but vulnerable, warm but focused. Her beautiful character makes the best of being smart; she’s eternally curious and down to earth about her intelligence.

When she goes to school, Matilda saves her peers from Miss Trunchbull, a towering villainess who likes to chuck small kids over the school fence like a shot put. Trunchbull here is played by James Millar, a WAAPA graduate and winner of a Helpmann Award for best male actor in a musical for this role. He is perfectly cast and a high point of the show. A tall man, dressed in an awful uniform with large pendulous breasts (designed by Rob Howell), he growls at all the kids in the show. He is a pleasure to watch when he is on stage, and his comeuppance is fun for us all. Matilda is nurtured by Miss Honey (Elise McCann – also a Helpmann Award winner for this role) and gets to see a future for herself. McCann is the right mix of sweet and vulnerable with a beautiful voice that plucks the heart strings in “Pathetic,” “This Little Girl,” and “My House.” She is the heart of the show and you root for her to look after Matilda all the way through.

In an interview just after the Broadway run, Minchin said “One of the main things I do is stuff lots of words into a short space of time – and rhyme too much – and that’s something adults enjoy because they hear and understand everything. But kids don’t have to hear every word – they still think rhyming and word trickery is fun.” The lyrics are so clever and involved you have to strain to make them out at times, but the timing is perfect and the delivery charming. Murawski did a sterling job, deftly handling the large words and the Russian ending. The overt British accent could be toned down a bit, but then perhaps this is what makes the show so successful – its ‘Britishness’ is key to our delight.

The famous showstopper, “When I Grow Up,” is lyrical and moving, and taps into how we all thought we would feel when we were small. It brought a tear to my eye. The finale brings this song back and the audience to its feet for a well-deserved standing ovation.

Matilda the Musical has tremendous heart and intelligence. Seeing the show in Tim Minchin’s hometown made the experience all the sweeter, with a crowd who truly delighted in our ‘local boy come good.’

SUSIE CONTE

Matilda the Musical runs until 7 May at Crown Theatre. For more information about all things Matilda, visit the Australia tour website here, and for tickets, book online here.