Matilda the Musical
* * * *I tried to find a clip that gave a good translation of what I saw tonight, and while there are numerous clips and montages and even a couple of scenes online, this is one of those live theatrical experiences that doesn't translate well to youtube. It also would make for a horrible film adaptation. The show is even more cartoonish than Danny DeVito's 1996 movie. Matilda's parents and the evil Trunchbull are so over-the-top they make Sacha Baron Cohen subtle by comparison. Yet I quickly settled into these performances because they operated at just a couple of the film's many speeds. Each one won me over with a great number or bit of comedy, and I firmly believe nobody can keep Bertie Carvel (Trunchbull) from collecting the Tony next year.
Ever since I saw Book of Mormon, there's been something nagging me about it I couldn't put my finger on. It was hilarious, original and smart yet there was a sameness to it. A feeling it could just pick any culture or group of people and find comedy gold by mocking their contradictions. Matilda is funny, and then it's emotional, then borderline scary, surprising, childish but not too childish, mature in a way that makes me wonder if it will scare off part of the audience or even effect repeatability because it isn't going for approval all the time. Roald Dahl's touch and tone were not smoothed out one bit.
For me, my few negatives are counteracted by a handful of instantly catchy and clever songs that make me want to own the soundtrack and some of the greatest bits of staging I've ever seen in a show. Moments like a bully song whose lyrics come back later to reveal they actually contain the alphabet. Each letter becomes a block in a wall that creates steps the performers dance and climb on. School desks rise up from the floor, a kid eats a giant cake and other bits that involve the aisles of the theater. During the Intermission the actor playing Matilda's father comes out to make an announcement and engage in a bit of improv with the audience. He slides unnoticeably from actor into character and launches into a song about how television is better than books. ...and with that, the magic continues.
1. Matilda the Musical
2. Avenue Q
3. Book of Mormon
4. Spam-A-Lot
5. Beauty and the Beast
6. Anything Goes
7. Mary Poppins
8. The Lion King
9. Nuttin' But Hutton