Am I The Only One That Disliked "Matilda"???!!!- Page 5

[dramamama611]

Posted: 4/18/13 at 11:18am

I think ALL non-Americans are more willing to allow children grow up.

[labwyfan]

Posted: 4/18/13 at 11:18am

Count me among the folks that thought the show was magical, beautiful and fully deserving of all the critical praise it's receiving (especially after being utterly disappointed in ONCE last season).

Matilda comes alive during both NAUGHTY and QUIET. If some feel she come across robotic in the other scenes, I understood that choice and found that complex portrayal right on the money. She is a loner! And an original. A very smart girl that we get to watch figure it all out.

In an adult world, Trunchbull might not be the villian but from a child's perspective she most definitely is especially during school hours. I totally got that.

JOHN - NAUGHTY gave me the warm fuzzies.

BWY fan- as for your comment that..."Matilda is portrayed as not really being affected in a deep way by her abuse from nearly everyone in her life, it's minimizing the effects of child abuse". Are you disappointed that she takes charge of her own life and is not portrayed as a sad victim of her situation? She says very clearly in NAUGHTY - "and that's not right. And if that's not right, you have to set it right."

The night I saw it, kids, especially girls between 5 and 15, were enthralled.

I do not understand how anyone could be bored at this show, there was so much to take in. Can't wait to see it again!!

Updated On: 4/18/13 at 11:18 AM

[John Adams]

Posted: 4/18/13 at 11:20am

>> "Or what about the long-term effects of exposure and possible infection from living in a huge peach with a bunch of insects?"

PFFFFFT...!
ooops... I just spit coffee out my nose.

Updated On: 4/18/13 at 11:20 AM

[dramamama611]

Posted: 4/18/13 at 11:25am

I brought a group of 80 (aged 14-1. They were largely unimpressed. Don't get me wrong, most of them LIKED it, very few of them loved it. Kinky Boots was enjoyed far more.

As I've said, I LIKED it, it was a treat for the eyes, there were moments that were delightful and charming, but it was not fabulous - not by a long shot.

Is it the best new musical of the season? I don't know as I haven't seen all the new musicals, but I'm sure it's "up there" -- which is more of a statement on the season, not the excellence of the show.

[BwayFan4]

Posted: 4/18/13 at 11:32am

Thanks for your feedback, John. (As an aside, maybe Drama Mama can learn from you regarding how to have a "conversation" as she(?) puts it without being insulting and calling people's ideas ridiculous... but I digress...)

I appreciate your well-articulated points of view. Some others who have responded have said things about it not being the point of the story to talk about child abuse or that I'm saying what Dahl should or should not write (or giant peaches and pits or some strange comment like that). I'm not suggesting that I want to tell anyone what to write... I'm merely saying that when you have a little girl who is being abused by everyone, but yet still is able to be victorious without much trouble, TO ME it portrays a minimization of the impact of child abuse.

But the real point of my post was to say that I don't care for the show all that much because I felt it lacked "heart". You're right...this show is not Annie. Annie, to me, has heart. Granted, I haven't seen the current production of it or any of the others since the original, but it's a sweet show. And you're right...this show is different from Annie and doesn't try to be Annie. But it's the approach that has been taken in the production (and I assume the source material, although I haven't read it) that it lacks that certain something that I look for in a musical.

That was my point... the chlid abuse ideas were thrown in for good measure

[BwayFan4]

Posted: 4/18/13 at 11:35am

Ok, Drama Mama... let's kiss and make up. I agree with your last post 100%. And I think one of the reasons your folks enjoyed Kinky Boots more than Matilda is because KINKY BOOTS HAS HEART! That's exactly my point.

[BwayFan4]

Posted: 4/18/13 at 11:41am

LABWYFAN... Yes. I understand your point, of course. But what my point was is that a 5 y/o child may be in no position to "put it right," as you (and Matilda) say. And I never felt that Matilda was scared or felt unsafe... she was always very in control of her situation when most (dare I say all?) 5 y/o kids in her situation are not. They are innocent victims who don't have magical powers and have no ability to change their situations. If Miss Honey and Matilda were real, Miss Honey would have called Family Services and gotten this poor kid some help. Instead, Matilda saves the day and rescues Miss Honey. It's a very sweet story, but not one that a child in distress could use in reality to make his/her life better.

[newintown]

Posted: 4/18/13 at 11:50am

Well, we are discussing literature/theatre here, not documentaries or newspaper articles.

Stuffed bears and piglets don't talk and walk. Nannies don't fly. Children aren't wizards and witches. Spiders don't save pigs with messages in their webs. Talking lions don't represent Jesus.

If we demand that literature eschew imagination in favor of "realism" (whatever that may be), it's going to become a grey world pretty fast.

[dave1606]

Posted: 4/18/13 at 11:51am

I really want to start a "Am I the only one who didn't like Kinky Boots Thread" because I really think that show got off easy.

Yes, its splashy and fun, but I found it very empty at the core. There was no real conflict to the story at all. I just kept waiting for the next song. I found myself very emotionally detached from the story. In fact the only one I really cared about was Annaliegh Ashford. But to each his own.

Matilda gave me such a stronger connection. I wanted Matilda to get out of her situation and I cared about her. "Quiet" is such a great moment in the show for that. It isn't for everyone and I understand that, but in terms of character sympathy Matilda was the winner here.

[labwyfan]

Posted: 4/18/13 at 11:52am

I get it Bway Fan and thank you, but I respectfully disagree.

We see from the start that Matilda is a helluva lot smarter than the adults in the show. I don't agree that we never saw her scared or unsafe. She just chose a different way of handling it.

After all, what is the lesson in ANNIE (a show I love)? That a very rich man will come along and solve all your problems if you have a positive outlook? How many innocent victims of child abuse can use that in reality to make his/her life better?

[BwayFan4]

Posted: 4/18/13 at 11:53am

Ok... well I think that child abuse is a little bit different than flying nannies, talking pigs and spiders, and Harry Potter. If you're missing my point, that's fine. We can drop it now. I'm tired of trying to explain it. Have a nice day.

[newintown]

Posted: 4/18/13 at 12:01pm

Drop it just because you don't agree and someone else has salient comments you don't wish to address?

"Ok... well I think that child abuse is a little bit different than flying nannies, talking pigs and spiders, and Harry Potter."

Isn't Harry Potter abused by his aunt and uncle? Aren't the Banks children ignored by their parents (a form of abuse, some would say)?

The important part of my previous post was worth repeating: If we demand that literature eschew imagination in favor of "realism" (whatever that may be), it's going to become a grey world pretty fast.

[BwayFan4]

Posted: 4/18/13 at 12:09pm

It's different, though... those kids have someone or something that helps them get through a rough time (a magical nanny, a special school for wizards, a wealthy man who falls in love with a little girl because she's charming, etc.). They don't just wake up and change things on their own...they need help from some outside benevolent force or person to escape their bad situation.

[wonderfulwizard11]

Posted: 4/18/13 at 12:12pm

But isn't that what Matilda gets from Miss Honey and, to a lesser extent, the librarian? Yes, she's a pretty strong girl, but these characters are both good forces that do help her change her situation, even if Matilda drives a large part of it.

[newintown]

Posted: 4/18/13 at 12:16pm

That's still irrelevant to the point you seem to be stating - that these things don't reflect the way the world "really" works for abused children.

What you aren't acknowledging is that all stories like this inhabit a stylized universe, not the everyday world in which we live. They're parables, fables, myths, allegories. ALL of them.

To continue to insist that there's something wrong or deceitful about Matilda (but not the other stories about children improving their worlds - like "A Wrinkle In Time") makes no sense. Matilda has an unusual mind, she's a "miracle," as Honey says. She's not a "real" child, living in a "real" world. She's imaginary.

[BwayFan4]

Posted: 4/18/13 at 12:20pm

That's my point from the beginning. Those characters are kind to Matilda, but they don't help her change her situation...not really. Matilda is the one who is in control from beginning to end and, as mentioned, Matilda is the one who saves Miss Honey. The only reason Matilda even needs Miss Honey is because she's an adult and Matilda can't support herself.

Miss Honey can't even stand up to Trunchbull. As she's terrorizing the class, Miss Honey is bullied herself...all she does is offer minimal encouragement to the kids who are being abused (i.e. Eat the cake, spell the words correctly). And the librarian is nice but she pretty much just stands by idly also and is a friendly ear for Matilda's stories. So I stand by my opinion that Matilda is a very different character than all of the other children characters you refer to...

[labwyfan]

Posted: 4/18/13 at 12:37pm

The fact that Matilda is the one that overcomes her issues on her own is why her story is an important one. Perhaps children will see the power inside themsleves to change their story.

Wouldn't that be nice?

[wonderfulwizard11]

Posted: 4/18/13 at 12:39pm

I don't think it's fair to say that the librarian stands idly by, since Matilda does not reveal the truth of her situation to her- every time she mentions Matilda's parents, Matilda doesn't tell the truth. So how is she supposed to help in that regard?

I would also argue that, by being an ear for Matilda's stories, she helps Matilda enormously. Matilda clearly relates to a lot of the world through her books, and finds a lot of power in the ability to tell stories to an adult that cares about her as Mrs. Phelps does.

[John Adams]

Posted: 4/18/13 at 12:43pm

OKAY, now...
Since we're going all "Linus Van Pelt" on a kid's book/musical, there are some things to consider:

Miss Honey is Miss Trunchbull's niece. The house she and Matilda eventually move into (Miss Trunchbull's house) has legally been hers all along. She just never had the guts to stand up to her aunt about the house, or anything else for that matter. BUT... in her defense, she probably grew up with that fear of her aunt and never overcame her childhood fear. Very similar situation to Matilda and her relationship with her parents (feeling "powerless" against an adult). Does that shed any light on why Miss Honey may seem so ineffectual?

Regarding any notion of social commentary on child abuse, BwayFan4 wrote, "That was my point...[referring to ideas about 'heart' in a musical] the chlid abuse ideas were thrown in for good measure"

I'm stickin' with that, 'cause it works for me.



Updated On: 4/18/13 at 12:43 PM

[BwayFan4]

Posted: 4/18/13 at 12:44pm

I'm not picking on Mrs. Phelps. I'm just saying that she doesn't save Matilda. Matilda saves herself.

And yes it would be nice if children could save themselves... but my point is that, unlike adults, usually they can't because children are relatively powerless in our society. Which is the entire point of my original comment... it's dangerous to imply that children can simply save themselves because people then can come to the misconception about abused children that "Hey look... if Matilda can do it, why can't everyone?" I love that this innocent observation has turned into people thinking I want to burn Roald Dahl books. lol.

[newintown]

Posted: 4/18/13 at 12:51pm

"...it's dangerous to imply that children can simply save themselves because people then can come to the misconception about abused children that "Hey look... if Matilda can do it, why can't everyone?""

Anyone who comes to that conclusion is mentally impaired at best...

[wonderfulwizard11]

Posted: 4/18/13 at 12:53pm

I'm not saying you're picking on the character, but your assertion was that Matilda doesn't have any outside benevolent force to help her, and my point is that clearly isn't true.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 4/18/13 at 1:01pm

I really want to start a "Am I the only one who didn't like Kinky Boots Thread" because I really think that show got off easy.

Don't. There are many people who didn't like the show and have posted as such in the existing threads.

[BwayFan4]

Posted: 4/18/13 at 1:01pm

She has supportive people, but she saves herself...different from the other kid characters in question.

"Mentally impaired at best.." hmmm... it's the same idea as people who think that "Well my kid is going to Harvard. Why can't the kids in the inner city do the same thing? They just have to work hard." There must be a lot of mentally impaired people in the world then, by your assessment.

[labwyfan]

Posted: 4/18/13 at 1:06pm

It is quite a jump to assume that people would walk away thinking if Matilda can do it, so can others in her situation. I don't get that at all.