Matilda (2010)

 

When this British-import musical performed at last year’s Tony Awards, I enjoyed myself but wasn’t immediately taken.  The number, a short medley performed mainly by the young ensemble, was cute and fun, just enough to make me poke around for a little more about the show.  I hadn’t read the book by Roald Dahl or seen the film from the ‘90s, and I didn’t really get hooked until I found this older video of the West End Matildas at the Olivier Awards.  I was completely taken by this wonderful, charming song and knew that I had to hear more.

 

If you didn’t pause to watch the video (which you really should,) the song in question is “Naughty;” though performed by all four young actresses on the telecast, it’s a solo for the brilliant, diminutive heroine to ponder the veracity of accepting one’s lot.  She opens on literary figures – Jack and Jill, Romeo and Juliet – wondering “why they didn’t just change their story” and positing that so-called naughtiness is sometimes needed to improve an unjust situation.  Winningly, she sings, “Just because you find that life’s not fair, / It doesn’t mean that you just have to grin and bear it. / If you always take it on the chin and wear it, / Nothing will change.”  She goes on to state that even small people with small power aren’t destined to oppression (“You mustn’t let a little thing like ‘little’ stop you”) or being “stuck in [their] story.”  She celebrates tiny acts of rebellion such as “the seed of a war in the creak of a floorboard” and reminds the audience that such tiny acts are how all large-scale change begins:  “Every day starts with the tick of a clock - / All escapes start with the click of a lock.”  In the end, she acknowledges that the only person who can change her story is herself, and she gets ready to do just that.

 

Catchy, clever, and heartfelt – there’s so much packed into this number, and it instantly spurred me to further investigate the show.  Like the book, the musical tells the story of Matilda Wormwood, a 5-year-old genius born to a depressingly-ordinary family that couldn’t care less about her extraordinary abilities.  Matters worsen when she starts school and comes face to face with the tyrannical Miss Trunchbull, whose strictness and inhumane punishments keep the student body in fear, and it’s up to Matilda to stand up to the Man (or Woman, in this case.)

 

The cast recording I own is from the original Stratford-Upon-Avon production, featuring many of the same adult actors who followed the show to London and then Broadway.  The Matildas (three, all of whom are represented on the album) were too old for the role by the time the show moved to London and later crossed the Pond, but it’s nice to hear them on the CD.  Fun fact – the one picture above is Kerry Ingram, who currently plays Shireen Baratheon on Game of Thrones.

 

None of the other songs quite live up to the perfection of “Naughty,” but there’s still a lot to like.  Tim Minchin’s score is bouncy and fun, and his lyrics sparkle with sly wit.  The opening number, “Miracle,” is a cheeky nod to participant-trophy culture and parents who think their unremarkable offspring hung the moon.  “When I Grow Up” is a lovely ensemble piece, “Revolting Children” is an anthemic crowd-pleaser, and I love the clever, quasi-acrostic flavor of “School Song.”  Additionally, “Quiet,” Matilda’s other big solo, is positively gorgeous, a real treat for any young actress.  I’ve gotten tons of mileage from this CD (literally – it frequently occupies my car stereo,) with my only complaint being that it’s sometimes hard to move forward instead of repeating “Naughty” and “Quiet” on a loop.