Matilda

Matilda the Musical
 Shubert Theatre
225 West 44th Street
New York, NY 10036

This show was the second of two shows that I saw on Saturday, May 4, 2013 and which motivated me to start this blog. Slow to get posted but here it is.

Matilda is a simple story:  a young girl has terrible parents and a horrible life at school but her "special powers" protect her in the end.  It's kind of like Stephen King's "Carrie" for children except Matilda is no victim. She is the author of her life and the theme of the show is simply:  if you are struck in a horrible story, write yourself a new ending.  Needless to say:  bibliophiles and librarians are gonna love this one. Not to mention optimists.

Let me start by saying this is an outstanding production that exceeds in every category:  performances, set design, lighting, score, etc. etc.  But. I think that a backlash is brewing for a couple of reasons but most of which have to do with the fact that the musical doesn't stoop to any levels. It doesn't want to be innocent enough to be for children.  It's not cynical enough for adults.  It's not happy enough for a musical.  It's too fun to be dark.  Kind of like Roald Dahl. My suggestion for most children:  don't avoid them just because it is too dark.  That is exactly the reason that Dahl's books are still popular with kids and nothing helps a kid to learn that they are safe better than to be in a dark place and to come through it safely.  They are smarter than you think and any kid old enough to sit still for 2.5 hours probably also can deduce that the stage is as safe as a TV. They are surrounded by others who are not screeching and they'll probably follow suit (Note:  I'm REALLY sorry if you follow this advice and it doesn't turn out that way but I'm not a child psychologist so what do I know?!)

But, come Tony time, the backlash could be real and the probably lesser (I haven't seen it)  but happier and less atonal Kinky Boots may beat out Matilida.  Billy Porter may even sashay away with a Tony over Bertie Carvel because he glitters.  His drag is pretty and, suffice it to say that Truchbull is many things but "pretty" is not one of them.  That is not to say that the message of Kinky Boots is any less lovely or poignant but it may be more palatable to American audiences because it is served up straight like Bruce's chocolate cake rather than the salty sweet ice cream with balamic vinegar (thanks Tim Holland!) confection that is the more thinking and complicated Matilda. And who doesn't love Cyndi Lauper and Bruce Vilanch.  I mean Harvey Fierstein.

A recommendation:  check out the cast album before attending since the lyrics are a great part of the fun and are hard to catch in real time with a Cockney pitch.  Tim Michin's a genius and he also doesn't stoop. Snarky and smart.  If you haven't ever heard his nine-minute rant/jazz/poem "Storm" about new age mysticism versus science then you need to.