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It’s that time again—looking over some of my old posts about a story with Big Neurodivergent Energy and realizing how it resonated with me as an “unhatched” autistic ADHDer. We’re looking at Matilda today in its various forms.
The song in question is “Naughty” […] 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.”
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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. (Present-day sidenote: Honestly, how did it take me so long to figure it out?)
“Quiet” – Another solo for Matilda, a nice 11 o’clock-ish number that depicts her breaking point. What starts as a frantic cascade of facts, questions, and frustrations coalesces into stillness as a sudden, crystalizing calm washes over her. A fantastic character piece, and a treat for the young actress playing her.
Best line: “I’m sorry – I’m not quite explaining it right, / But this noise becomes anger, and the anger is light, / And its burning inside me would usually fade, / But it isn’t today.”
They’re different in demeanor and attitude, but I’m reminded a little of Charles Wallace Murry, another pint-sized genius who didn’t pop out of the womb already knowing everything there is to know. She’s constantly learning, that’s the point.
Matilda the Musical (movie musical)
Alisha Weir is utterly fantastic as Matilda. She’s brilliant and precocious but always feels like a kid, which I think is so important in portrayals of child geniuses. I love watching her Matilda put things together as she observes them and plans her “naughty” retribution.
Further Thoughts on Matilda the Musical
When Miss Trunchbull goes back on her promise not to punish Bruce if he finishes the entire chocolate cake in one sitting, Matilda is furious. “It’s cheating!” she protests, filled with righteous indignation that Bruce did exactly what Miss Trunchbull told him to do and she’s throwing him into Chokey anyway.
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