ABOUT THE SHOW

Back in 2003, the RSC began work on the idea of a musical based on Roald Dahl’s book, after initial approaches from the Roald Dahl Estate.

Playwright Dennis Kelly, director Matthew Warchus and composer and lyricist Tim Minchin came together to make something magical. After extensive research and development workshops, led by Matthew and with the support of Jeanie O’Hare and the RSC Literary Department, the musical was ready. The creative team included Rob Howell (design), Simon Baker (sound), and Paul Kieve (illusion).

In 2010 Matilda: A Musical premiered at the RSC’s Courtyard Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon to critical acclaim and sold-out performances.

In October 2011, the production transferred to London’s West End at the Cambridge Theatre (our home ever since) with Executive Producers André Ptaszynski, Denise Wood and Griselda Yorke.

Now named Matilda The Musical, the show received glowing reviews and multiple awards including the 2011 Peter Hepple Award (Critics’ Circle), Ned Sherrin Award (Evening Standard Theatre Awards), and the 2011 Best Musical Production and Best Performance at Theatre Awards UK.

The awards continued in 2012 with four Whatsonstage.com Awards including Best New Musical, Best Set Design (Rob Howell), Best Choreographer (Peter Darling), and London Newcomer (Tim Minchin); and seven Olivier Awards securing a place in the 2013 Guinness Book of World Records for most Olivier wins, breaking a 20-year-old record held by Nicholas Nickleby.

In the spring of 2013, Matilda The Musical opened on Broadway at the Shubert Theatre, co-produced with the Dodgers.

Picking up four Tony Awards and a Tony Honor for Excellence for the four girls who played Matilda, five Drama Desk awards and two Outer Critics Circle awards.

In 2015, the London and Broadway productions were joined by the North American and Australian tours, co-produced by the Dodgers and Louise Withers, International Executive Producer – Australia, respectively. After an acclaimed opening, and a Sydney Theatre Award for Best Musical, the Australian production won all 13 Helpmann Awards for which it was nominated – setting a new record.

Further tours included:
2018: UK & Ireland Tour
2018: First non-English language production in Seoul, South Korea.
2018: International tour opened in Johannesburg, South Africa, followed by Singapore.
2023: Plays in Japan for the first time.
2023 – 2024: International touring production opened in Tel Aviv and toured across Asia and the UAE, concluding in Abu Dhabi in 2024.

In March 2020 the show closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, along with the rest of the UK theatre industry.

The RSC was overjoyed to welcome audiences back into the Cambridge Theatre in September 2021. A few months after reopening, cast and company members old and new helped to celebrate 10 years of performances.

In October 2022 a brand new film adaptation of Matilda The Musical premiered at the BFI London Film Festival, made in collaboration with the original creative team.

The film was released by SONY across the UK and Ireland, and premiered worldwide on Netflix in December 2022 with the UK Netflix release following in summer 2023.

Over the years, Matilda has played in more than 100 cities, won over 100 international awards, and delighted over 12 million audience members worldwide, which just goes to show that even if you’re little you can do a lot.