If Pink Floyd’s The
Wall taught me anything, it’s that British children do not take kindly to
disrespect from their educators. Perhaps I learned this lesson earlier from
Roald Dahl’s Matilda, but if I did I don’t remember it. I was pretty
sure the story had something to do with a hammer-tossed girl and maybe some
psychic abilities, but other than that I went into Roald Dahl’s Matilda: The
Musical simply knowing that it was a story kids appreciated, and now I can
see why: Justice against bullies, even if they are exaggerated and cartoonish
bullies, is timeless and satisfying. Matilda: The Musical is certainly
the latter and might just prove to be the former as well.
As
the 30-year-olds who routinely star in high school-set movies and television
shows can tell you, centering a production on children characters played by
actual children can be quite a challenge. There’s a big difference between
appreciating your niece or nephew awkwardly stumbling through their two lines
as a tree in the local elementary school’s Thanksgiving play and watching kids
try and fail to be anything other than annoying on the screen, but I can
happily say that is not the case with Matilda: The Musical. The kids in
the cast do all the heavy lifting, and there is nary a weak link to be found.
Especially impressive is Alisha Weir, Matilda herself, who shines with an
adorable energy that is hard not to smile at. The adult cast is equally
exceptional, particularly Emma Thompson as the horrible and hateful Miss
Trunchbull, who is hard to look at and even harder to not wish immediate and
painful death for.
The
musical aspects of the film translate surprisingly well from the show’s West
End origins, and though there is really only one song that stuck with me (and
stick with me it will for the rest of my life, if my mental soundtrack of the
last few days is any indication), all of the musical numbers are a joy to
behold in the moment. The lyrics are clever and never shy away from the exaggeratedly
dour tone that the book is famous for, and the dance choreography is as brilliant
as it is inventive. Not every musical can comfortably make the leap from the
stage to the screen, but Roald Dahl’s Matilda: The Musical does so with
aplomb.
As is
the case with the original story, Matilda: The Musical could be a bit
much for me at certain points, simply because how over-the-top the frank child
abuse could be. Yes, the bullying is satirical and even Dickensian in its
nature, but there’s no denying that Matilda mostly feels like the
depressing beginning parts of Harry Potter without the magical school to
escape to. But who am I to argue with the success of a classic? Matilda: The
Musical successfully maintains the spirit of Roald Dahl’s novel, and if you
liked the original you will love this one. Teachers, leave them kids alone.
Roald
Dahl’s Matilda: The Musical is now available on Netflix.
This review was first published in The Keizertimes on January
6th, 2023. Visit at http://keizertimes.com/
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