MATILDA THE MUSICAL returns to the West End in September 2021
by Best of Theatre Staff on Friday 7 May 2021, 10:03 am in Theatre News
The Royal Shakespeare Company’s West End production of Matilda The Musical has announced that it will return to the Cambridge Theatre from 16 September 2021. Seen by more than 10 million people across more than 90 cities worldwide, this autumn marks 10 years since the multi-award-winning show opened in the West End. Matilda The Musical is now booking through to 13 February 2022.
Catherine Mallyon, RSC Executive Director said:
“It is fantastic to see London’s West End re-opening and for our company, freelance colleagues, and creative team to be back at the Cambridge Theatre, preparing for performances in the autumn. We all know how challenging the past year has been, and that makes this moment even more special and important. We will not only celebrate 10 brilliant years of Matilda The Musical in the West End but also that our audiences can join us once again to experience the power of live theatre.”
Adapted from Roald Dahl’s much loved 1988 book and commissioned by the Royal Shakespeare Company, the musical premiered at the RSC’s Stratford-upon-Avon home in 2010, before transferring to the West End in October 2011, where it opened to rave reviews.
A tonic for audiences of all ages and widely considered to be one of the most iconic British musicals of the last decade, this anarchic production about a strong and determined heroine with a vivid imagination has won 99 international awards including 24 for Best Musical. Having welcomed almost 4 million audience members in London, Matilda The Musical is the 6th longest-running show in the West End and the 16th longest-running musical in West End history.
With the upcoming film adaptation from the same core creative team as the theatre production (direction by Matthew Warchus, adapted for the screen by Dennis Kelly, with the music and lyrics of Tim Minchin), Dahl’s themes of bravery and standing up for what you believe in will continue to inspire young audiences all over the world. Produced by Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner of Working Title, Jon Finn, and Luke Kelly of The Roald Dahl Story Company, Sony Pictures/TriStar Pictures will release the film theatrically in the UK and Netflix will release the film in the rest of the world.
Matilda The Musical swept the board at the 2012 Olivier Awards, with a record-breaking seven awards, and won four Tony Awards and a Tony Honor for Excellence in the Theater for the four girls sharing the title role on Broadway. It has since toured North America, Australia, New Zealand, the UK and Ireland, South Africa and China and played its first non-English language production in Seoul, South Korea in 2018/19.
Written by Dennis Kelly, with music and lyrics by Tim Minchin, and direction by Matthew Warchus, the production is designed by Rob Howell, with choreography by Peter Darling, orchestrations, additional music and musical supervision by Christopher Nightingale, lighting by Hugh Vanstone, sound by Simon Baker and the special effects and illusions are by Paul Kieve.
Matilda The Musical is the story of an extraordinary little girl who, armed with a vivid imagination and a sharp mind, dares to take a stand and change her own destiny. Full casting for the production will be announced in due course.
Matilda The Musical is produced by the Royal Shakespeare Company with Denise Wood and Griselda Yorke as Executive Producers. André Ptaszynski passed away in July 2020 and is much missed by all his colleagues at Matilda The Musical and the RSC. The production was developed with the support of Jeanie O’Hare and the RSC Literary Department.