Gone Awry: Matilda the Musical (Review)
Matilda the Musical feels like bad day at the circus
Matilda the Musical (
) is a show for young audiences at heart. A heralded hit on Broadway for years now, the national tour is currently ensconced in the Kennedy Center Opera House. And because of its critical success, it’s possible adult theatergoers will leave find the show wanting, or worse. Consider yourself warned.
Adapted from Roald Dahl’s novel by writer Dennis Kelly and composer Tim Minchin, and directed by Matthew Warchus, Matilda registers almost as a circus act, particularly in Act One, which flits from one exaggerated, eccentric scene to the next. There’s a dose of melodrama one moment, some cheap laughs the next, then a high-wire trick, before another bout of melodrama. It’s catnip for kids, who gleefully step right up to see the assortment of freakish adults — including Matilda’s stupid, vain, unloving parents (Cassie Silva and Quinn Mattfeld) — on display.
Minchin’s music is a pastiche of a wide range of popular styles, from flamenco to pop balladry to creepy carnival tunes to disco. The sensibility is mostly dark, off-key and eccentric. Peter Darling’s choreography is zany and attention-grabbing — and most accomplished in the closing number, “Revolting Children.” And while serious acoustic difficulties plague the show (the sound mix is frequently indecipherable — a crime for a top ticket price of $200), the scattershot narrative improves: Act Two significantly tones down the buffoonery and offers a richer, clearer story arc.
Even the brutal headmistress, Miss Trunchbull (Bryce Ryness), finally reveals traces of humanity if not heart. Naturally, the evil Miss Trunchbull gets her comeuppance, and Matilda finally gets her due. Mabel Tyler makes for a winsome Matilda. (Tori Feinstein and Gabrielle Gutierrez also alternate in the role.) Miss Honey is Matilda’s dream teacher as well as mother figure, and Jennifer Blood fully captures the teacher’s kind, caring appeal, with the added bonus of having a sweet singing voice.
Matilda The Musical runs to Jan. 10 in the Kennedy Center Opera House. Tickets are $30 to $204. Call 202-467-4600 or visit kennedy-center.org.
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