Below is the story of how Tim and Dennis Kelly helped turn Roald Dahl’s famous children’s book Matilda into a hit musical. For slightly less Minchin-centric information, the RSC’s Matilda The Musical website has videos, cast and production information, clips of the cast recording and more. You can sign up to their mailing list for news here, follow @MatildaMusical on Twitter for the latest updates, or ‘like’ Matilda The Musical on Facebook. If you still want more then Angry (Feet), Tim’s official fansite and stalker refuge, has a Matilda sub-forum.
SKIP TO: Matilda | Photos | Videos | Quotes/Reviews | Awards | Press
MATILDA
Roald Dahl’s children’s novel Matilda was first published in 1988 with illustrations by Quentin Blake. It is the story of a very bright and rebellious little girl, with special powers. Matilda’s parents, Mr and Mrs Wormwood, have no time for her and treat her as a nuisance. She spends most of her time reading books from the library astonishingly quickly, whilst they watch the telly and Mr Wormwood sells dodgy used cars. At school things are no better as despite the care and support of her teacher, the lovely Miss Honey, Matilda has to contend with the terrifying headmistress Miss Trunchbull who rules the school with cruelty and fear. Matilda fights against the injustices at home and at school. Eventually she decides the grown-ups should be taught a lesson and in the process discovers her supernatural powers
Chapter One
In December 2008, director Matthew Warchus approached Tim about writing the music and lyrics for a stage musical adaptation of Roald Dahl’s famous book, to be produced by The Royal Shakespeare Company. Tim had little hesitation: not only was the chance to write for the RSC impossible to resist, but as a life long fan of Dahl, he had – coincidentally – attempted to secure the stage rights to Matilda ten years earlier, when he was writing for theatre in Perth, WA.
Working from Kelly’s script adaptation, Tim wrote his first draft in the middle of 2009, with the first workshop production taking place in London in September. A significant restructuring and a short period of rewriting was undertaken in the autumn, and – with Tim on tour in Australia – a second workshop took place in November. Over the new year big changes took place, characters were discarded, songs were binned, scenes were conflated, and inevitable crisis talks ensued, but not until Tim returned from Australia in March did the final push begin. Warchus, Kelly, Minchin, RSC dramaturge Jeanie O’Hare, and legendary musical supervisor Chris Nightingale spent an intense two months renovating the script. The final workshop production took place at the end of June, further adjustments were made, and rehearsals started in September 2010.
Following the dress rehearsal on the 6th November 2010 the show was performed to its first public audience, three days later, on the 9th at the Courtyard theatre in Stratford-Upon-Avon and was extremely well received. The previews continued for a month, with everyone working hard to tighten it up and tweak it into perfection. Finally Matilda, A Musical opened on the 9th December with the industry press in heavy attendance. The audience rose delightedly to their feet at the end and the reviews that followed in the national press were wonderful. The production was sold out over Christmas and throughout January until the run ended on January 30th.
A few days before the end of the run Matilda was awarded the Critics’ Circle Award for Best Musical. These awards recognise excellence for theatre throughout the UK and are selected by a group of professional theatre critics. The Peter Hepple Award for Best Musical (new or revival) was presented by Matt Wolf, at the Prince of Wales Theatre and was accepted by director Matthew Warchus and some of the children from the cast.
There were now high hopes for a transfer to London’s West End and for a cast recording of the show.
Chapter Two
On the 30th March 2011 the Royal Shakespeare Company confirmed there would be a West End transfer in autumn 2011 for an open-ended run but there was a suspenseful wait until May 19th for all the exciting details. Then, at last, with the new grown up title and shiny new artwork: Matilda The Musical could stand tall and announce that it was heading to the Cambridge Theatre, in London’s West End, previewing from Tuesday 18th* October 2011 with an initial booking period to 12th February 2012.
* Following a press release, on 29th September, this was amended to previewing from Tuesday 25th October 2011 with opening night on Thursday 24th November.
In May 2011 Tim worked on the cast recording with the original Stratford-upon-Avon cast at Air Studios, Highgate. This was released on Roald Dahl Day; 13th September 2011. This long clamoured for recording is available from the RSC Shop and the Matilda The Musical website where you can listen to preview clips of the tracks. There was an iTunes release on the 18th October.
The casting announcements came in two parts: First in August the adults and Matilda’s school friends and then on Dahl Day the four young actresses who will be playing the eponymous Matilda were revealed at a press launch at the London Eye. (See the photo below).
With opening night in the West End fast approaching Tim talks here, on his blog, about the cast recording and the preparations for the move to the Cambridge Theatre.
In late October 2011, as Matilda The Musical had its first preview, Tim and Eleanor Worthington Cox, one of the four young actresses playing the title role of Matilda, spookily graced the front cover of Time Out London’s Halloween issue. A copy of the front cover is below in the Photos section for your frightful delight. Inside the magazine Tim talks about Matilda The Musical with Time Out London’s theatre editor Caroline McGinn. You can read the full interview here and see an additional photo from the shoot on the Time Out blog here.
At the Evening Standard Awards ceremony, hosted by Dame Edna Everage, on Sunday 20th November, Matilda the Musical won the Ned Sherrin Award for Best Musical. It was presented by Miranda Hart and collected by Tim, Dennis Kelly and Matthew Warchus. In their round up of the award winners The Evening Standard gave reasons for their choice:
THE NED SHERRIN AWARD FOR BEST MUSICAL
TIM MINCHIN, DENNIS KELLY AND MATTHEW WARCHUS
for Matilda The Musical
“The quest for a great new musical is over, at least for now: London (and before long, presumably, the world) has just that in Matilda, the Royal Shakespeare Company’s deliriously funny and moving adaptation of Roald Dahl that has arrived on the West End following cheers and not a few tears on the occasion of its premiere last December in Stratford-upon-Avon.
That rare show pitched ostensibly at children that lucky adults in their midst will doubtless enjoy even more, Matilda comes down on the side of love and literacy as well as burp jokes, bad hair, and a bravura performance from Bertie Carvel, playing a battleaxe of a headmistress with a voice by way of Hannibal Lecter. (Carvel made the ES shortlist for best actor.) The altogether buoyant score is from Australian comedian Tim Minchin, marking his musical theatre debut amid a creative team (director Matthew Warchus included) that finds everyone involved at the top of their game. Small wonder the opening song is entitled “Miracle”: it takes one to know one.”
Matt Wolf
Source
You can view a short video of Tim, Dennis and Matthew receiving the award here.
Matilda’s Opening Night
Following the month of previews and a week of press attendance Matilda The Musical opened, to great excitement, in the West End at the Cambridge Theatre on Thursday 24th November, 2011, with more press and many stars in attendance. At the end of the performance the whole audience jumped to their feet to give the actors of all ages and the musicians an extremely long and impressive standing ovation. Again the critical acclaim and outstanding reviews rolled in. A selection of the opening night pics have been added to Photos and there’s footage of the evening at the end of the Videos section below.
Just a week later, on December 2nd 2011, at London’s Café de Paris, the Whatsonstage Award nominations were announced. Matilda The Musical received an amazing NINE nominations! These UK theatre industry awards are nominated by and voted for purely by theatregoers and the ticket-buying public. The Awards took place at the West End’s Prince of Wales Theatre on Sunday 19th February 2012.
Matilda the Musical triumphed, winning Best New Musical – Tim Minchin & Dennis Kelly; Best Set Designer – Rob Howell; Best Choreographer – Peter Darling and Tim won The London Newcomer of the Year for his work on Matilda.
“With 35% of the votes in his category, Australian comedian Tim Minchin, making his musical debut providing the show’s music and lyrics, was a commanding winner for London Newcomer of the Year.” Whatsonstage.com
Wonder what the next turn of the page will bring…
PHOTOS
Tim with the Stratford-upon-Avon Matildas: Kerry Ingram, Adrianna Bertola and Josie Griffiths (Original production cast from Stratford-upon-Avon November 2010)
The West End Matildas: Eleanor Worthington Cox, Cleo Demetriou, Kerry Ingram and Sophia Kiely
Crunchem Hall Uniforms - photo by Manuel Harlan
The company in rehearsals - photo by Manuel Harlan
The four Matildas - Cleo Demetriou, Kerry Ingram, Eleanor Worthington Cox and Sophia Kiely - photo by Manuel Harlan
Tim visited the Cambridge whilst the outside was being adorned with Matilda-ness
Tim and Eleanor Worthington Cox spookily on Time Out London's Halloween 2011 front cover. Photographer: Jay Brooks. Hair and Make up: Dorita Nissen using M.A.C.
Opening Night on Thursday 24th November, 2011. Taken in the Cambridge theatre foyer and at the after-party:
(All six by Dan Wooller)
Bertie Carvel (Miss Trunchbull) and Tim
Tim and Sarah Minchin
Tim with family and friend Jenny Davis
Cleo Demetriou, Eleanor Worthington Cox, Kerry Ingram and Sophia Kiely (The four Matildas)
The serious faces of Dennis Kelly, Kerry Ingram, Eleanor Worthington Cox, Tim, Cleo Demetriou, Matthew Warchus and Sophia Kiely
Tim looks up to Michael Boyd (RSC Artistic Director)
More photos of the evening can be found here.
Matthew Warchus, Tim and Michael Boyd at the 2012 Whatsonstage Awards
Photographer: Dan Wooller for Whatsonstage.com
VIDEOS
First, a couple of interviews, filmed in April 2010, featuring Tim and the writer Dennis Kelly:
In the first Tim talks about how he became involved with Matilda, what the project means to him and how he’s approached it musically.
In the second Tim and Dennis discuss the script and the writing process, the influence of Quentin Blake’s illustrations and how they worked to be true to Dahl’s writing.
Behind the scenes insights at the July 2010 Workshops and Christopher Nightingale the musical supervisor and orchestrator talking with Tim about job titles/roles, and preparing to perform the show for a small audience of children and adults.
This first video trailer, released in September 2010, featuring some of the instrumental score written by Tim, was the first opportunity to hear some of the music.
Early November 2010, just before the first preview to the public, the RSC made this video showing footage of the kids in rehearsals. The audio is the demo of “When I Grow Up”, the first song that Tim finished and showed Dennis Kelly, Matthew Warchus and Chris Nightingale in May 2009.
A second trailer was released in November 2010 during the previews, featuring Miss Trunchbull *gulp* telling us about RULES. with further tantalising snippets of Tim’s music. This was updated with the new artwork and title in May 2011, as the London West End transfer was announced:
Tim, Matthew Warchus and Dennis Kelly talked to the Telegraph about creating Matilda The Musical in September 2011:
As the Cambridge Theatre was being transformed in September 2011, Tim and Dennis Kelly popped in to take a look and to ask each other questions posed by fans of the show in Twitter. Here’s Part 1:
Still at the Cambridge Theatre in September 2011, Dennis and Tim continue interviewing each other and sniggering. Part 2:
Opening Night at the Cambridge Theatre on Thursday 24th November 2011: Performance footage and photos intercut with short interviews with members of the cast, the creative team and guests at the event:
A montage of clips filmed, in 2011, at the Cambridge Theatre in London’s West End:
There are more videos on the RSC YouTube channel.
QUOTES/REVIEWS
London, West End – Cambridge Theatre:
The Guardian *****
“Writer Dennis Kelly and composer and lyricist Tim Minchin go to the top of the class with this anarchically joyous, gleefully nasty and ingenious musical adaptation of Roald Dahl’s story.
It’s an evening of unadulterated bliss.”
The Telegraph *****
“Hilarious, moving and magical.
Dennis Kelly’s script actually improves and deepens Dahl’s original. Meanwhile, Aussie comedian Tim Minchin has come up with a smashing score that combines take-home melodies with delicious lyrical wit in songs that consistently develop both the plot and our understanding of the characters.
A thrilling, warm-hearted production, which constantly combines comedy with a sense of wonder.”
The Evening Standard *****
“Matilda is a gem…enchanting. At the heart of this satisfyingly fresh adaptation of a cherished Roald Dahl story are Australian comedian Tim Minchin’s music and lyrics, which ooze humour…Dennis Kelly’s book switches smartly from grubby fun to a grown-up idiom.
This generous, big-hearted piece is already being spoken of as one of the best new British musicals in years.”
Time Out, London *****
“The RSC’s ‘Matilda’ is the best British musical in years. And it’s not just a kids’ show… It is guaranteed to delight anyone who’s ever been a child.
Writer Dennis Kelly has enlarged Dahl’s book brilliantly, making ‘Matilda’…an upliftingly stageable story of collective rebellion… we have the mini-heroes of Year 1, rocking out and fighting for their right to be ‘a little bit naughty’.
Tim Minchin’s catchy, satirical music and lyrics include a couple of spot-on anthems [and he] gives his Revolting Children a fantastic hackle-raising finale – but subtle songs like ‘When I Grow Up’, staged beautifully on swings, ensure there’s an achingly wistful conversation between childhood and adulthood along the way.
It’s smart, quirky and sublimely good fun.”
Stratford-Upon-Avon – Courtyard Theatre Run:
The Telegraph *****
“Director Matthew Warchus, … brings the show to life with a buzzing vitality that proves irresistible…But the biggest laurels should go to Dennis Kelly, whose script has both deepened the emotion of Dahl’s story while adding loads of splendid jokes of his own, and Tim Minchin, the Aussie comedian, who has written the music and lyrics.
The songs fizz with humour and great take-home melodies. Kelly and Minchin suddenly look like the brightest prospects for British musical theatre since Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice.”
WhatsOnStage.com *****
“Tim Minchin’s music and lyrics sparkle with wit and energy, demonstrating a touch of genius to rival that of the eponymous Matilda. Complemented by Dennis Kelly’s book, they make up a piece which is by turns riotously funny and gut-wrenchingly poignant …, all brought vividly to life by Matthew Warchus’ masterful direction.”
The Times *****
“Dennis Kelly’s adaptation grips from the start… Jokes and numbers come thick and fast…Tim Minchin’s lyrics, to his own music, are so good that the temptation to write them down could, at any point, make you miss some extraordinary sight.”
The Independent ****
“The Royal Shakespeare Company has struck gold with this wildly entertaining musical… Dennis Kelly’s clever adaptation and the witty, intricate songs by Aussie comic Tim Minchin create a new, improved version of Dahl’s story”
“Matthew Warchus’s wondrously well-drilled production finds just the right balance between gleeful grotesque humour and heart-warming poignancy”
Evening Standard *****
“The RSC’s new musical version of Roald Dahl’s Matilda is a triumph: enchanting, bold and ingenious… In Tim Minchin, it has found the perfect spur for a wildly tuneful reimagining… The Australian comedian has crafted a succession of witty songs: his lyrics are full of trickery, his melodies instantly winning.”
“In this lovingly created show, Matilda’s magic positively sparkles. There’s a cleverness in the writing which ensures that, while it appeals to children, there is plenty for adults to savour…it’s blissfully funny…There’s a playfulness throughout that proves intoxicating.”
More quotes and reviews can be found here and here.
AWARDS
Winner
2011 Critics’ Circle Award: The Peter Hepple Award for Best Musical (new or revival)
2011 Theatre Awards UK – Best Musical Production and Best Performance in a Musical for Bertie Carvel
2011 Evening Standard Theatre Awards – Best Musical
2012 WhatsOnStage Awards – Best New Musical for Tim Minchin & Dennis Kelly
2012 WhatsOnStage Awards – Best Set Designer for Rob Howell
2012 WhatsOnStage Awards – Best Choreographer for Peter Darling
2012 WhatsOnStage Awards – The London Newcomer of the Year for Tim Minchin
Nominee
2012 WhatsOnStage Awards – Best Actress in a Musical for Cleo Demetriou, Kerry Ingram Eleanor Worthington Cox & Sophia Kiely
2012 WhatsOnStage Awards – Best Actor in a Musical for Bertie Carvel
2012 WhatsOnStage Awards – Best Supporting Actress in a Musical for Lauren Ward
2012 WhatsOnStage Awards – Best Supporting Actor in a Musical for Paul Kaye
2012 WhatsOnStage Awards – Best Director for Matthew Warchus
2011 British Composer Awards – Best Stage Work for Tim Minchin
2011 Evening Standard Theatre Awards – Best Director for Matthew Warchus and Best Actor for Bertie Carvel
PRESS
RSC gives Roald Dahl’s “Matilda” musical makeover Reuters (Interview)
Waltzing Matilda: Dahl’s classic dances on to the stage The Telegraph (Editorial)
Why You Should Come And See Matilda, A Musical Whatsonstage (Editorial)
Anarchy in the UK: Aussie comic Tim Minchin is fomenting childish revolt after getting his hands on Roald Dahl The Independent (Interview)
How we turned Matilda into a musical triumph The Telegraph (Interview)
Time Out meets madcap comedian Tim Minchin as he talks about ‘Matilda The Musical’ Time Out London (Interview)
Fantastic Mr Minchin wows the West End The Independent (Editorial)
Sugar and Spice, and Something Sinister The New York Times (Review)
Matilda is top of the class at Whatsonstage.com awards Guardian (Editorial)