Theater News

West End Musical Matilda Will Now Begin Performances October 25

The new musical Matilda has changed its first preview and opening dates at the West End’s Cambridge Theatre due to delays in the structural and installation work at the theater that are necessary for the production, according to a report on Whatsonstage.com. The show, directed by Tony Award winner Matthew Warchus and featuring choreography by Peter Darling, will now begin performances on October 25 in anticipation of an official opening on November 24.

Based on Roald Dahl’s 1988 children’s novel, the show has a book by Dennis Kelly and music and lyrics by Tim Minchin. In the musical, the central character is a little girl with astonishing wit, intelligence and psychokinetic powers. She’s unloved by her parents but impresses her schoolteacher and, over the course of her first term at school, teacher and pupil have a profound effect on each other’s lives.


The company features four young actresses who share the title role: Eleanor Worthington Cox, Cleo Demetriou, Kerry Ingram and Sophia Kiely. In addition, three teams of eight young performers play the characters Bruce, Lavender, Amanda, Nigel, Eric and the other pupils at Crunchem Hall Primary School are: Thomas Atkinson, Jake Bailey, James Beesley, Ruby Bridle, Oonagh Cox, Jemima Eaton, Alicia Gould, Zachary Harris, Callum Henderson, Fleur Houdijk, Jamie Kaye, William Keeler, Lily Laight, Katie Lee, Isobelle Molloy, Jemima Morgan, Toby Murray, Alfie Manser, Lucy May Pollard, Annabel Parsons, Ellie Simons, Louis Suc, Jaydon Vijn and Ted Wilson.

The adult cast consists of Bertie Carvel (Miss Trunchbull), Paul Kaye (Mr Wormwood) Josie Walker (Mrs Wormwood) and Lauren Ward (Miss Honey), along with Marc Antolin, Verity Bentham, Matthew Clark, Peter Howe, Michael Kent, Melanie La Barrie, Matthew Malthouse, Rachel Moran, Alastair Parker, Leanne Pinder, Nick Searle, Emily Shaw, Lucy Thatcher, Tim Walton, and Gary Watson.

The production is designed by Rob Howell, with orchestrations, additional music and musical supervision by Christopher Nightingale, lighting by Hugh Vanstone, sound by Simon Baker and special effects and illusions by Paul Kieve.

To read TheaterMania’s review roundup of the original production, click here.


For further information and tickets, click here.

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Matilda The Musical

Closed: December 4, 2013