The beloved Broadway musical ‘Matilda’, with music and lyrics by Tim Minchin, based on Roald Dahl’s book of the same name, has hit cinemas with a bang.
The film tells the story of an extraordinary girl, Matilda Wormwood (Alisha Weir), who is stuck with her nasty parents and cruel school headmistress, Miss Trunchbull. However, she is ready to change her destiny with a sharp mind and vivid imagination, accompanied by her kind teacher, Miss Honey.
Emma Thompson (‘Nanny McPhee’, ‘Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban’, ‘Brave’) plays Miss Trunchbull. Meanwhile, the role of Miss Honey that was previously offered to Emma Stone went to Lashana Lynch (‘Still Star-Crossed’, ‘Captain Marvel’, ‘No Time to Die’)
Composer Tim Minchin explained the choice of Emma Thompson as the fearsome Miss Trunchbull. “When Matthew (director Matthew Warchus) said, “What do you think of Emma?” I replied, “Can we get Emma?” And he said, “Yeah, she really wants to do it.” She’s fearless and outrageous in that role. We’ve always cast men as Miss Trunchbull on stage because she has to be six feet tall and pick up a child and swing it around. The men who play Trunchbull often end up in physio. But in a film you can use CGI, so then it’s a case of, who’s the best actor?”
Thompson recently called work for children ‘the most sacred work we ever have’. Thompson told The Guardian that she was surrounded by the works of Roald Dahl as a child.
“I read all the time. I was bullied at school, and the books that really spoke to me were the ones where there was real darkness,” she said. “You don’t want to sugarcoat it, but it can’t be too real. It’s got to be frightening, but you’ve got to be able to contain it and get thrilled by it.
“I think making work for children is the most sacred work we ever have, and it has to be our best work, it has to be so good because they need to get the best of us as artists. Then they’ll take that as they grow older.”
As for Matilda herself, 13-year-old actress Alisha Weir was cast after sending a video of herself singing songs from Mary Poppins. Recalling when she was told the news, Alisha told The Times: “I think I burst into tears. I couldn’t believe it. I was really shook. I didn’t know what to say. I was so grateful. It was crazy to think I got the role of Matilda.”
Along with Minchin, Dennis Kelly, the original writer for the musical, returns to pen the script for the film. Matthew Warchus, who oversaw the production of the musicals, dons the director’s cape.
The film also stars Andrea Riseborough (‘Battle of the Sexes’, ‘The Death of Stalin’, ‘Mandy’) as Mrs Wormwood, Stephen Graham (‘Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy’, ‘Parade’s End’, ‘Taboo’) as Mr Wormwood, and stand-up comedian Sindhu Vee as Mrs Phelps the Librarian.
Reviews have largely been very positive, with The Guardian calling it ‘immensely enjoyable’, with special praise reserved for Thompson’s ‘monstrous’ depiction of Miss Trunchbull and Weir’s ‘assured’ performance as Matilda. The Times’ Kevin Maher praises the songs, as well as Thompson. “The songs are buoyant, lyrically nimble,” he writes. “The alphabet-focused School Song is Do-Re-Mi from The Sound of Music in another guise. While The Smell of Rebellion is very Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious. Young kids will undoubtedly be wowed, while Thompson remains, invariably, the big draw. “
The film is out now in the UK, and will be available to be streamed on Netflix later this month.
Pic-Emma Thompson and Alisha Weir in ‘Matilda’-credit screengrab from ‘Matilda’ trailer.