Matilda Changes/Differences

[sofiaur8]

Posted: 5/10/16 at 2:45pm

For my final project for English I am writing about the changes in the plot of Matilda or in general in the book and the musical. For any of you who have seen the musical and read the book, could you tell me some differences that you have found? I have only read the book and I have yet to see the musical. Let me know please!!! I'm in desperate need. Thanks. :)

[nasty_khakis]

Posted: 5/10/16 at 2:50pm

No offense meant, but why wouldn't you pick a project on something you've actually seen? 

[sofiaur8]

Posted: 5/10/16 at 6:13pm

Unfortunately, I didn't have much of a choice. This is for my Musical Theatre elective class and we must research for certain information. I was the last one to pick a musical because the rest were taken. I tried several websites but could not find much.

[playbill-love]

Posted: 5/10/16 at 6:16pm

It doesn't seem like potentially subjective or poorly remembered reports from anonymous users of a hobbyist message board would be appropriate (or even acceptable to your professor or teacher) sources to use in an academic context. Ethnography, interview, and public history projects are absolutely legitimate academic research, but they are not conducted with strangers on message boards.

[MoDance0934]

Posted: 5/10/16 at 6:36pm

playbill-love said: "It doesn't seem like potentially subjective or poorly remembered reports from anonymous users of a hobbyist message board would be appropriate (or even acceptable to your professor or teacher) sources to use in an academic context. Ethnography, interview, and public history projects are absolutely legitimate academic research, but they are not conducted with strangers on message boards.

 

I don't think he/she is going for a full-fledged college level research project...

 

[playbill-love]

Posted: 5/10/16 at 6:42pm

MoDance0934 said: "playbill-love said: "It doesn't seem like potentially subjective or poorly remembered reports from anonymous users of a hobbyist message board would be appropriate (or even acceptable to your professor or teacher) sources to use in an academic context. Ethnography, interview, and public history projects are absolutely legitimate academic research, but they are not conducted with strangers on message boards."

I don't think he/she is going for a full-fledged college level research project...
"

I agree, but even my 9th grade English teacher would not have accepted a research paper written on the basis of "some message board users on the internet told me some stuff about a musical they saw." When I was in crappy public high school (which was not that long ago - I am 21) the entire point of writing research papers was to learn how to find and cite appropriate sources and use their content as evidence for our argument.

[Scarywarhol]

Posted: 5/10/16 at 7:28pm

You can find some plot alterations and additions just by listening to the cast album--especially the Broadway cast album.

 

Agreed that I would not feel kosher just listing content for a paper, and don't know how that could be cited. 

[Corey38]

Posted: 5/10/16 at 7:37pm

Well Matilda's powers come in much later in the show than in the book, I saw the show and got so far in that I thought they weren't going to include them at all. Also, the ending is slightly different. The Russian mob comes after Matilda's dad and that is why they have to move, and while she's saying that she wants to stay, the mob comes in and tries to take her father, but she gives a very big speech on why he's not a bad guy (or something of that sort) and he lets them go.  And all throughout the story Matilda goes to the libaray and is telling a librian a story she made up about a trapeze artist and a tightrope walker who fall in love, and in the end it turns out she was telling the story of Ms. Honey's parents without knowing it.

[Gink]

Posted: 5/10/16 at 7:50pm

No Youtube videos to watch?

[StephieElise]

Posted: 5/10/16 at 8:55pm

I'd point you towards the documentary Matilda and Me as a potentially useful source. It focuses a lot on Tim Michin's love of Roald Dahl and includes clips from the show. You should also be able to find plot summaries, reviews and articles discussing the changes which will be much more reliable sources. Clearly you aren't expected to have seen the show (a primary source) so you should instead rely on secondary sources.

[TheGingerBreadMan]

Posted: 5/10/16 at 9:10pm

sofiaur8 said: "Unfortunately, I didn't have much of a choice. This is for my Musical Theatre elective class and we must research for certain information. I was the last one to pick a musical because the rest were taken. I tried several websites but could not find much.

 

Is it for English or Musical Theatre? You've told us two different things. 

 

[MoDance0934]

Posted: 5/10/16 at 9:52pm

playbill-love said: "MoDance0934 said: "playbill-love said: "It doesn't seem like potentially subjective or poorly remembered reports from anonymous users of a hobbyist message board would be appropriate (or even acceptable to your professor or teacher) sources to use in an academic context. Ethnography, interview, and public history projects are absolutely legitimate academic research, but they are not conducted with strangers on message boards."

I don't think he/she is going for a full-fledged college level research project...
"

I agree, but even my 9th grade English teacher would not have accepted a research paper written on the basis of "some message board users on the internet told me some stuff about a musical they saw." When I was in crappy public high school (which was not that long ago - I am 21) the entire point of writing research papers was to learn how to find and cite appropriate sources and use their content as evidence for our argument.

 

Well obviously... I would be concerned. I think it's just used as a starter. Basically the equivalent of going to Wikipedia. 

 

[dramamama611]

Posted: 5/10/16 at 10:04pm

This sounds more like a self-selected topic to me.  I can't imagine any teacher assigning this if  you hadn't seen the show. Of course the wishy washiness of what class it's for is suspicious, too.

 

 

[Corey38]

Posted: 5/10/16 at 11:39pm

This sounds more like a self-selected topic to me.  I can't imagine any teacher assigning this if  you hadn't seen the show. Of course the wishy washiness of what class it's for is suspicious, too.
 

Why does it even matter? They just want to know the differences, it's not really important what class it's for or even if it's for a class at all. They just want to know.

[KathyNYC2]

Posted: 5/11/16 at 10:44am

Matilda's mother in the book plays bingo (I think)...in the musical, she does ballroom dancing. In both, she is so busy with her hobbies, she has little to no time for her daughter.

There is entire sub=plot created for the musical...Matilda tells a story about an acrobat and escapologist which winds up being a true story that she has "seen", not just fiction as Matilda first thought. There is nothing about this in the book.