Matilda The Musical Reviews: What the Critics Say

Matilda opened at the Cambridge Theatre on 24 November 2011 and has not moved since. These are the notices it opened to, and what happened afterwards.

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The Critics' Verdict

It opened to five-star reviews in the national press, and went on to win seven Olivier Awards.

It came into the West End carrying expectation. It had already sold out a twelve-week run at the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford and collected awards on the way. The Stage put the risk plainly and then dismissed it: the production "could easily have been a disappointment... It is nothing of the sort."

What the Reviews Praised

The production, first. Charles Spencer in the Telegraph called Matthew Warchus's staging "thrilling, warm-hearted", exuberantly designed and with "pin-sharp choreography".

Bertie Carvel's Miss Trunchbull, without exception. Spencer found him "at once terrifying and hilarious, and the cherry on the cake of this glorious production". Henry Hitchings in the Evening Standard called him "stupendously good", adding that "each of the character's mannerisms feels perfectly calibrated".

The writing, which several critics thought improved on the book. Lyn Gardner in the Guardian: "If anything, it is actually richer than Dahl's novel." Sarah Hemming in the Financial Times credited the team with catching Dahl's "mischievous imagination".

And the children. Quentin Letts in the Daily Mail called it "a fabulous family fizzer" that "ends with the audience uncertain whether or not to blub or cheer".

Where Reviews Were Mixed

One critic had reservations, and they were about the songs.

Michael Coveney at WhatsOnStage found "a few bumps in the adaptation" and wrote that Tim Minchin's songs are "deficient in nothing except melody". Minchin's score is witty and rhythmically clever rather than the sort you hum on the way home, and if big tunes are what you want from a musical, that is the honest caveat.

Coveney had no complaint about the production, which he called "a 'school's out' exercise in joyous liberation".

The Awards

Seven Olivier Awards in 2012, the most any single show had won at that point: Best New Musical, Best Director, Best Actor for Carvel, Best Choreography, Best Set, Best Sound, and Best Actress in a Musical.

That last one went jointly to the girls sharing the title role, who remain the youngest winners in the awards' history.

On Broadway in 2013 it took four Tony Awards from eleven nominations, plus a Tony Honor for the child actresses there.

Is Matilda Right for You?

Book it if you are bringing a family. That is what the reviews said in 2011 and what fifteen years of audiences have agreed since.

Book it if you want a serious musical. The Royal Shakespeare Company made it, and it won seven Olivier Awards.

Think harder if you want big tunes. That is the one thing a critic objected to, and it is a fair warning.

Think about the age. Guidance is 6+, under-4s are not admitted at all, and Miss Trunchbull can frighten a small child. The easy fix is to explain the character before you go in. She is a pantomime villain, and Matilda comes out on top.

Call us on 020 7193 9050 if you are unsure and we will talk it through.

Book Matilda Tickets

At the Cambridge Theatre, booking to Sunday 5 September 2027. Seats from around £20, and evening performances start at 7pm, not 7.30.

The price we quote is the price you pay.

Matilda tickets • Call us on 020 7193 9050

Sources

The Guardian · The Daily Telegraph · Evening Standard · Financial Times · Time Out · The Stage · WhatsOnStage · Daily Mail · Wall Street Journal · Daily Express · The New York Times