MATILDA Previews- Page 10

[theatregoer3]

Posted: 3/8/13 at 1:56pm

I also saw last night's performance. I didn't think Sophia was all that special. She has talent and I'm very impressed she could carry a show at that age, but she never moved me. I can say the same for the entire show.

I'm sure this will run for a very long time and many people will enjoy the show but it wasn't for me. I'm 29 and I feel this show was made for kids and their parents.

I've been following this message board and bought tickets (orchestra row E - way too close...sit in the back of the bus) because everyone seemed to love it, but I was disappointed. For me, it was just cute and nothing more. There was a burst of applause for lasers and confetti. I didn't find anything about the staging original or unique. That said, first time Broadway goers and families will eat it up and have a blast. Just not my bag and I only want to post so others like me are aware.

[wonderfulwizard11]

Posted: 3/8/13 at 2:54pm

Maybe I just have a taste for cynical humor, but I didn't see anything particularly dark about this show, at least anything darker than the source material. Yes, Matilda's parents are horrible, and Miss Trunchbull is a monster, but it's not like anything they do is so completely scarring. And I thought "When I Grow Up", along with a few other moments, was one of the sweetest, loveliest moments I've ever seen in a musical.

[jetts7]

Posted: 3/8/13 at 3:00pm

I saw the show last night and it was BRILLIANT! The book,actors,music, and set was amazing! I saw Sophia as Matilda and she is so amazing! She has perfect comedic timing. Everyone was talking about how amazing Bertie was and I thought it was overrated but then I saw the show. I completely understand everyone meant on here! Bertie is BRILLIANT (everything is brilliant to me lol)! I think the Tony is between Bertie and Rob McClure. Its BRILLIANT (Yes, I said it again)! Its gonna sweep the Tonys. Go see this show before you cant get a ticket!!!!!!

[Salene]

Posted: 3/8/13 at 3:15pm

How about Lavender and the newt? Were they brilliant?



Updated On: 3/8/13 at 03:15 PM

[disneybroadwayfan22]

Posted: 3/8/13 at 4:30pm

@Up In One-I was wondering if someone was going to post about "the mean nature" in the story. Yes, it is, but that's the point: It's about a extraordinary girl, trying to defy the obstacles.

[welcometothetheater]

Posted: 3/8/13 at 8:00pm

For those who've been recently, how long does the cancellation line appear to be?

[Up In One]

Posted: 3/8/13 at 9:21pm

No cancellation line Thursday tickets were available and available on line at a discount.

[cglaid]

Posted: 3/8/13 at 9:25pm

Who was on as Matilda tonight?

[disneybroadwayfan22]

Posted: 3/8/13 at 9:44pm

It was Milly.

By the way: I'm going to sit at RIGHT ORCHESTRA Row R, Seat 6. How good are those seats?

[songanddanceman2]

Posted: 3/8/13 at 10:23pm

Up In One, do us a favour love and don't come back to the UK......hope that was not mean.

[After Eight]

Posted: 3/8/13 at 11:57pm

Up in One,

Thank you for your excellent appraisal.

You make some very insightful points, as always.

I too found the parents too horribly mean for words---and the theatre.

[wonderfulwizard11]

Posted: 3/9/13 at 12:08am

But that's the source material- it's not like Dennis Kelly and Tim Minchin arbitrarily decided to make the Wormwoods nasty. That's the catalyst for the entire story- if her parents aren't mean, why even bother in the first place?

[Belle9]

Posted: 3/9/13 at 12:11am

Did anyone see Milly tonight? I would love a review.

[After Eight]

Posted: 3/9/13 at 12:15am

I guess it's a question of how they are presented. There's comic mean (eg., witch in the opera Hansel and Gretel) and repellent mean. These parents repelled me.

And it doesn't matter if that's how they were in the book. They were a real turnoff in this musical adaptation.

[jbm2]

Posted: 3/9/13 at 12:18am

Saw Milly tonight. She was good. However, I felt like every other child in the cast was better then her. She sounded like she had a stuffy noise the entire play.

[wonderfulwizard11]

Posted: 3/9/13 at 12:30am

I guess it's just a matter of opinion, but I don't think the musical is trying to make them, or Miss Trunchbull, for that matter, truly awful. Yes, they're vile, but they're also incredibly stupid and their stupidity is on constant display through the entire play. While I wanted Matilda to win against them, I still found elements of comedy in them.

And I mean, it does kind of matter that the creators are presenting them as they are in the book since they are, you know, adapting the book. To change them substantially would, I think, pretty seriously alter the material from Dahl's book. He wrote nasty adult characters and intended them to be nasty.

[Up In One]

Posted: 3/9/13 at 12:40am

A little thin skinned song & dance ? or I must be right about the piece for you to take it so insultingly.

As for the meaness its not just the parents it's the headmistress also. Are we supposed to be so mesmerized by the performance that we don't take it seriously? What's on the page is not pleasant so its up to storytelling to couch it. Matilda was written in the 80s its excuse could be that it was created before the psychology of abuse was widely understood but that's no excuse to perpetuate the insensitivity in the adaptation. The abused go on to abuse so Miss Honey for all her good intentions could be another head mistress waiting to happen. And this show is geared to kids who take everything at face value. Just throwing up my hands on this one.

[WhizzerMarvin]

Posted: 3/9/13 at 12:41am

I agree with you wonderfulwizard. I think PerfectlyMarvelous stated earlier in the thread how amazingly the creators were able to capture and translate Dahl's world on stage, and both of you are right.

The three characters in question are nasty and vile and to represent them as anything else would be a disservice to the material. Of course all three of them are given comic numbers so we can laugh and realize that their vanity, ego, greed and cruelty will be their undoing.

SPOILER************

It also makes the stakes very high for Matilda at the end when the Russian mafia shows up. She finally can get all the revenge she could possibly want against the people who have done grave injustices to her for years. And yet, she spares them in act of kindness they would never have afforded her. It's a beautiful moment where we see that humanity should never be given up on. Hope, forgiveness and love can flourish in the unlikeliest of environments.

Updated On: 3/9/13 at 12:41 AM

[wonderfulwizard11]

Posted: 3/9/13 at 12:47am

So then, what should the creators have done? Added a prologue that showed Miss Honey in therapy, so the audience could be sure that she wouldn't turn out like Miss Trunchbull. I have to say, in all iterations of this material I've ever seen, I have never once considered the question that she would turn out like her aunt. And even though she isn't the headmistress, we see her teaching throughout the piece and know that, despite the abuse at the hands of Miss Trunchbull, she's still a decent and loving person. Again, that's the point of the play- that despite being in terrible situations with terrible people, the human spirit and kindness are still strong enough to survive, as Whizzer so nicely put it.

[Marlothom]

Posted: 3/9/13 at 3:34am

Saw this tonight - very much a children's show, but appreciated the precision of the choreography, the magic of the sets and the talent of those children. I think the head mistress will be leading the pack for a Tony.

[Phantom of London]

Posted: 3/9/13 at 7:34am

It has been said that, when Roald Dahl went down to his potting shed to write, he had the unique ability to see the world through the eyes of a child.

[TR252]

Posted: 3/9/13 at 5:59pm

Could it be that there is a difference in sense of humour here?

But there is a comic element to Miss Trunchbull and the Wormwoods. I'm British myself and I personally find the characters and the script excellent. I think people are thinking far too deeply about the 'meaness' of some of the characters. When I saw the show in London (and I'm going again in a couple of weeks) the audience were absolutely loving it and to be fair the majority were adults!

[perfectlymarvelous]

Posted: 3/9/13 at 7:12pm

I think sometimes there is a slight difference, but Roald Dahl is quite popular in the United States as well so I don't think it's a cultural thing in this case. It's a larger-than-life story, so it makes sense that the villains are also outsized in their evilness.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 3/9/13 at 10:44pm

As for the meaness its not just the parents it's the headmistress also. Are we supposed to be so mesmerized by the performance that we don't take it seriously? What's on the page is not pleasant so its up to storytelling to couch it. Matilda was written in the 80s its excuse could be that it was created before the psychology of abuse was widely understood but that's no excuse to perpetuate the insensitivity in the adaptation.

It's a fantasy, which is why we don't take it seriously. It's also why we don't treat Harry Potter books and virtually every fairy tale ever written and their characters as realism. Did you have the same moral struggle with the oppression of little people by the appearance of Oompa Loompas?

[HeyMrMusic]

Posted: 3/9/13 at 11:31pm

I was at the show tonight. It was Bailey Ryon's first show in front of an audience (and I heard there weren't any brushups during the week either). What a pro! She was fantastic.

Bertie Carvel will and should win the Tony, whichever category they put him in. Just sensational. He had the audience wrapped around his finger.

All performances were uniformly wonderful. Best children's ensemble I've ever seen. The supporting actors were all fantastic as well. Really clever, touching, and entertaining moments throughout the show. I think they still need to work out a bit of the pacing and timing, but a really terrific performance, especially since this was the first time the lead has ever performed the role.

Matilda is a very demanding role and a very difficult role. It is technically very hard and if the actress playing the role slips up one bit, it would be like a domino effect. There's a lot riding on those tiny shoulders, and I thought Bailey Ryon handled it with such ease. Flawless accent, a lovely singing voice, and such a command over her songs and long monologues. Whatever you think about rulings for Tonys and whatnot...what I saw tonight was deserving of at least a nomination.

I sat in G25 of the mezzanine. The overhang was not a problem, but I did miss a bit of the action on stage right. Not a lot at all since most is staged within the large playing area. I think I would like to see it from a more center seat next time (as I'm sure I will revisit the show).

The orchestra was top-notch. Sound was very good for an early preview, and I'm sure they will only get better. They're nearly there already.

That's all I got for now. It is quite wonderful. This will be the show of the season.