The other Saturday I had the good fortune to go to see Matilda on Broadway at The Sam S. Shubert Theater, 225 West 44th Street, New York, NY.
The play is a musical version of Roald Dahl’s story about a very smart, ingenious little girl who is misunderstood by almost everyone with a REALLY, REALLY atrocious set of parents and a REALLY, REALLY atrocious headmaster at her school in a tale of survival and redemption through hope and imagination.
In the play we first meet young Matilda on the day that she’s born and then we are fast forwarded to her when she is five.
Young Matilda played by Ripley Sobo has to deal with her underhanded nitwitted father who refuses to acknowledge that she is his daughter and not his son and calls her every miserable name in the book for loving books and reading.
Unfortunately, Matilda’s mother is no better.
She’s only into being loud, loving her cosmetics and dancing the tango with her young handsome Italian dance partner (Hmm…).
Yuck. Yuck. Yuck.
OK. So it doesn’t get any better yet!
As the play progresses, Matilda is sent off to school, a place named Crunchem Hall where the principal is beyond horrific.
The two saving angels at the school are the librarian who loves to hear Matilda tell her stories (taken from her extensive time secretly spent reading) and Miss Honey, her lovely but timid teacher who is the niece of this very yuck principal.
Well, not one to give any ending away, things do work out in “their” own way and redemption and acceptance is found for Matilda and her relationship with her hellish parents and beyond miserable principal are resolved at least for a period of time.
So I must admit that I totally enjoyed this play because it portrayed the great spirit of this young girl who ingenious ways to deal with all these ridiculous people in her life.
She found her own way of coping and of also freeing other people from their own timidity and difficult challenges like her lovely teacher Miss Honey.
So I totally recommend that you see this play.
It teaches two of life’s greatest lessons which in my opinion are, “Where there is a will there is a way!” and as Nietchze once said, “That which doesn’t kill you can only make you stronger!”
This musical sounds great! Thanks for your insight!
You’re welcome! Glad you liked the post!