Matilda The Musical

  • 14 Jan - 20 Jan, 2023
  • Mag The Weekly
  • Reviews

Matilda the Musical, a remake of Roald Dahl's well-known book, opens with all the babies being hailed as miracles, except for Mr. and Mrs. Wormwood (Stephen Graham and Andrea Riseborough), who believe their daughter Matilda has ruined their lives. Little Miss Wormwood (Alisha Weir) develops into a voracious reader, math prodigy, and incredibly imaginative young lady who adopts the viewpoint that kids should accept bullying from adults and rise up against it. Matilda escapes her parents' criticism and punishment by visiting Mrs. Phelps' (Sindhu Vee) mobile library, where she quickly begins to write her own stories.

Filmmakers Matthew Warchus and Tat Radcliffe use production values to the fullest as they transition the movie from dream pop to gothic aesthetics. Intricate stunts, outstanding visual effects, slick production, and a gloomy atmosphere are all present. Matilda the Musical is darker, more cinematic, and resembles a twisted version of the original, which was easier to understand and more endearing, than its predecessor. This one is vile and wicked.

There are also other alterations, such as a multiracial lead cast for diversity; Sindhu Vee plays Mrs. Phelps, the vibrant and benevolent librarian who captures Matilda's heart with her tale, and Lashana Lynch plays Miss Honey. The backstory of Miss Honey about her parents' passing and upbringing is more tragic in this instance and plays a key role in the plot.

The telekinetic abilities of Matilda or other aspects of the legend are less prominent in this retelling. The focus is mainly on how rigidly disciplinary schools may be and how condescending adults can be toward children's requests. Alisha Weir excels in the character of the fierce and combative protagonist in this story.

She excels most when she tells the fictional story of an escapologist (Carl Spencer) and his acrobat wife (Lauren Alexandra). The goal of this childless couple's death-defying stunt, which involves spikes, sharks, and being shackled in an underwater cage, is to leave a lasting impression as performers. As Bruce Bogtrotter, Charlie Hodson-Prior appears horribly filled with pillows and fails miserably to pass for the chubby kid who steals Trunchbull's cake and manages to carry down the enormous dessert by himself.

Emma Thompson portrays Agatha Trunchbull, Matilda's adversary, a tyrant headmistress who despises children with such resounding conviction that she causes one to cringe whenever she appears on film. The actress plays a beautiful princess swinging away as she imagines a future without children in the fairytale-like Smell of Rebellion.

The songs' authors, Dennis Kelly and Tim Minchin, present intricate musical compositions with verbose lyrics. The Escapologist and the Acrobat's melancholy, School Song's earnestness, Chokey Chant's urgency, The Hammer's dread, When I Grow Up's hope, The Greatest Feat's breathtakingness, and Revolting Children's feverishness all contribute to the movie's musical richness.

Fans of musicals, fantasy, and twisted fairytales will enjoy this movie. Particularly the tunes will entice you to keep tuning in.

RELATED POST

COMMENTS