Sat 15th June - 7pm Performance
Cambridge Theatre - £5 16-25yo Day Ticket, £5 Programme
The first thing I must say is SEE IT! NO REALLY DO IT!
*Ahem*
It really isn't a wonder that this show is consistently sold out days and even weeks in advance unless you are willing to pay more than £65 a seat (even then you will be lucky to get one), though in this case I think it actually would be worth it. I was fortunate enough to score myself one of the 16 £5 16-25yo Day tickets which involved queuing outside the theatre from 8:50 (I was still 17th in line, people had been there since 7ish) and being grateful there are two shows on a Saturday.
Now this show is based off Roald Dahl's novel Matilda and has been preceded by an amazing Movie adaptation which was one of my favourite movies as a child. Needless to say this show had a reputation to live up to. Dennis Kelly did a fantastic job adapting the book for stage and the ever amazing Tim Minchin did a superb job complimenting the script and enhancing the characterisation with his music and Lyrics which are extremely catchy (Naughty) and poignant especially When I Grow Up.
The set is wonderful, the way in which the classroom rises from the floor, the bathrooms slips effortlessly back into the stage and its outline is lost is amazingly done. There is one point where Matilda is singing and she rises above the stage on a stack of books, she was about a foot off the ground before I even realised she was moving, it was that seamlessly and smoothly carried out. The integration of the older performers into the younger cast members and the way in which the children (and bigger children) moved the set was well done. The lighting was beautifully done, it was used to wonderful effect to create spaces and paths for the characters to move through, heightened the mood considerably and was in general, fantastic. The team pulled off some amazing stunts throughout the show such as the disappearing chocolate cake, the ponytailed girl hammerthrow and the self writing blackboard and I would love to know how they were done/be sitting closer to the action to try and work it out.
As with many shows with children in the cast, there are several children cast in each of the roles and they alternate between shows. This adds extra incentive to see the show again as although the show will still be similar each of the children will be unique and as such there performances will be individual. Something which has intrigued me about this alternating cast is how they decide who does which shows? In all of the roles except Matilda (4) herself there are three children sharing the role, you would think that on a set night the same children would perform together but is this the case? I don't know and would be interested to find out. I would also like to know how the children are educated, does the company provide tutors and run classes? Do they attend school like normal children but skip out on Thursday afternoons for the matinee performances?
Anyway you should definitely get yourself along to see this show! Though thankfully it is currently set to run until May 2014 and I could see it extending further.
Cambridge Theatre - £5 16-25yo Day Ticket, £5 Programme
The first thing I must say is SEE IT! NO REALLY DO IT!
*Ahem*
It really isn't a wonder that this show is consistently sold out days and even weeks in advance unless you are willing to pay more than £65 a seat (even then you will be lucky to get one), though in this case I think it actually would be worth it. I was fortunate enough to score myself one of the 16 £5 16-25yo Day tickets which involved queuing outside the theatre from 8:50 (I was still 17th in line, people had been there since 7ish) and being grateful there are two shows on a Saturday.
Now this show is based off Roald Dahl's novel Matilda and has been preceded by an amazing Movie adaptation which was one of my favourite movies as a child. Needless to say this show had a reputation to live up to. Dennis Kelly did a fantastic job adapting the book for stage and the ever amazing Tim Minchin did a superb job complimenting the script and enhancing the characterisation with his music and Lyrics which are extremely catchy (Naughty) and poignant especially When I Grow Up.
The set is wonderful, the way in which the classroom rises from the floor, the bathrooms slips effortlessly back into the stage and its outline is lost is amazingly done. There is one point where Matilda is singing and she rises above the stage on a stack of books, she was about a foot off the ground before I even realised she was moving, it was that seamlessly and smoothly carried out. The integration of the older performers into the younger cast members and the way in which the children (and bigger children) moved the set was well done. The lighting was beautifully done, it was used to wonderful effect to create spaces and paths for the characters to move through, heightened the mood considerably and was in general, fantastic. The team pulled off some amazing stunts throughout the show such as the disappearing chocolate cake, the ponytailed girl hammerthrow and the self writing blackboard and I would love to know how they were done/be sitting closer to the action to try and work it out.
As with many shows with children in the cast, there are several children cast in each of the roles and they alternate between shows. This adds extra incentive to see the show again as although the show will still be similar each of the children will be unique and as such there performances will be individual. Something which has intrigued me about this alternating cast is how they decide who does which shows? In all of the roles except Matilda (4) herself there are three children sharing the role, you would think that on a set night the same children would perform together but is this the case? I don't know and would be interested to find out. I would also like to know how the children are educated, does the company provide tutors and run classes? Do they attend school like normal children but skip out on Thursday afternoons for the matinee performances?
Anyway you should definitely get yourself along to see this show! Though thankfully it is currently set to run until May 2014 and I could see it extending further.
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