Matilda the Musical

For the film adaptation, see Matilda the Musical (film).
Roald Dahl's Matilda
The Musical
West End promotional poster
MusicTim Minchin
LyricsTim Minchin
BookDennis Kelly
BasisMatilda
by Roald Dahl
Premiere9 December 2010 (2010-12-09): Courtyard Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon
Productions
AwardsCritics' Circle Theatre Award for Best Musical[1]
UK Theatre Award for Best Musical Production[2]
Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Musical[3]
New York Drama Critics' Circle for Best Musical[4]
Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Musical
Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical

Roald Dahl's Matilda, also known simply as Matilda and Matilda the Musical, is a musical with music and lyrics by Tim Minchin and a book by Dennis Kelly. It is based on the 1988 novel Matilda by Roald Dahl. The musical's narrative centres on Matilda Wormwood, a precocious five-year-old girl with the gift of telekinesis, who loves reading, overcomes obstacles caused by her family and school, and helps her teacher to reclaim her life. After a twelve-week trial run staged by the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) at Stratford-upon-Avon from November 2010 to January 2011, it received its West End premiere on 24 November 2011 at the Cambridge Theatre and its Broadway premiere on 11 April 2013 at the Shubert Theatre.

Matilda the Musical has received widespread critical acclaim and box-office popularity, winning seven 2012 Olivier Awards, including Best New Musical—at the time, the highest number of such awards ever won by a single show.[3] Cleo Demetriou, Kerry Ingram, Eleanor Worthington Cox and Sophia Kiely shared a Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical. Ten-year-old Eleanor Worthington became the youngest winner of the award in any category.[5] At the 2013 Tony Awards, the show won five awards, including the Tony Award for Best Book of a Musical for Dennis Kelly.

A film adaptation was released on 25 November 2022 in the United Kingdom, followed by the United States on 25 December 2022.[6]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference playbill was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ "Peter Hall and Derek Jacobi among winners at Theatre Awards UK". The Stage. 30 October 2011. Archived from the original on 19 January 2012. Retrieved 19 January 2012.
  3. ^ a b "Matilda musical breaks Olivier awards record". BBC. 15 April 2012. Retrieved 15 April 2012.
  4. ^ Kennedy, Mark (3 May 2013). "'Matilda' Wins Top Musical With Critics' Circle Distinction". The Huffington Post. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 3 May 2013.
  5. ^ Shenton, Mark (3 January 2013). "Matilda - the Musical Sweeps Olivier Awards; Benedict Cumberbatch, Jonny Lee Miller Are Also Winners". Playbill.com. Archived from the original on 3 January 2013. Retrieved 11 April 2021.
  6. ^ Leiber, Sarah Jae (20 June 2021). "Everything We Know About the MATILDA Movie Musical". BroadwayWorld. Retrieved 6 October 2021.