About the work
Matilda the Musical is a musical with music and lyrics by Tim Minchin and a book by Dennis Kelly, premiered in 2010 by the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford-upon-Avon. Based on Roald Dahl's children's book, it won numerous Olivier and Tony Awards and is regarded as one of the most successful British musicals of the twenty-first century.
Plot
The highly gifted, book-loving Matilda Wormwood grows up with loveless parents who despise her. At school the tyrannical headmistress Miss Trunchbull terrorises the children, while the gentle teacher Miss Honey recognises Matilda's extraordinary gift. With her sharp mind, newly discovered telekinetic powers, and a good dose of defiance, Matilda stands up against the injustice of the adult world—and secures a happy ending for herself and Miss Honey.
Cultural significance
Matilda celebrates childhood cleverness, books, and the courage to rebel against injustice—embodied in the defiant anthem Naughty and the soaring When I Grow Up. Tim Minchin's eloquent, rhythmically ingenious songs and Dennis Kelly's biting humour lifted the work far above the usual family musical. It ran for years in London and on Broadway and was successfully filmed in 2022.