The Wormwoods in Roald Dahl’s 1988 classic children’s book Matilda are notoriously nasty parents. They spend hours rotting their brains on mindless television and convince their children to do the same. If the Wormwoods got their way, every child would be raised by a screen and be numb to the world. No need for ideas, or creativity, or thinking or even talking to each other at the dinner table — just a screen… Imagine what a world that would be.
Nowadays kids are putting down the books and picking up the iPads, switching from fairy tales to Candy Crush; from the fantasy world to virtual reality. And this is why there’s a desperate need for shows like Matilda the Musical, playing at the Buell Theater through Sept. 20. The show follows the rambunctious little Matilda Wormwood, who lives in a world of oppression from her family and the wicked Headmistress Trunchbull. But with some courage and a few super powers, Matilda triumphs over her tormentors.
Matilda’s favorite hobby is reading. Her thirst for learning spurs her creativity to blossom and inspires her to fight against those who stifle her. The character originated from Dahl’s mind almost 30 years ago, and sadly, since then, passion for reading in the real world has steadily declined.
According to the Kids & Family Reading Report, released earlier this year, 51 percent of kids 6-17 like or love to read for fun. That number has fallen from 60 percent in 2010 and 58 percent in 2012. That startling 7 percent drop in just two years highlights the need for shows like Matilda.
The musical displays childrens’ unlimited potential and applauds them for being feisty, even cheering them on in times of wrongdoing — i.e. Bruce Bogtrotter and his infamous chocolate cake binge. It lets kids be kids — excitable, mischievous and curious. And it proves no matter how hard you try to squelch a child’s will — such as with the frightening demeanor of Miss Trunchbull or the sharp spikes of the Chokey — the kids will prevail in the end.
“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,” Matilda sings. “Even if you’re little, you can do a lot. You mustn’t let a little thing like, ‘little’ stop you.”
Roald Dahl spent the majority of his career crafting empowering books for children about children. The kids in his books are complex and interesting, brave and adventurous. Whether it’s a poor kid who beats the odds and tours a magical chocolate factory or a girl who encounters a friendly giant, Dahl’s books are full of wonder and impossible.
Decades after its publication, Dahl’s Matilda serves as the antidote for this digital generation. She wants to be smart, she wants to learn, she wants to tell stories and she wants what’s fair. She’s your average kid, who also has a super brain that allows her to move things with her mind. But otherwise — she’s totally normal.
Behind the show itself are a skilled group of actors and a gaggle of kids who drive the show. The talent of the children is impossible to overlook. With the complicated lyrics and elaborate musical numbers, the personality of each child and character brilliantly shines through. These are real children doing amazing things, hopefully inspiring other kids to do amazing things too.
The star of the show is, of course, the title character. While the actress who plays Matilda, on opening night Mabel Tyler, might not actually be a telekinetic genius, she brings the vim and vigor needed to play the iconic role. It wasn’t until Tyler walked on stage to take her bow that the whole audience sprang to its feet.
The overall musical feels like it tumbled out of a youthful mind. Off the refrigerator and onto the stage, Matilda the Musical plays like a child’s drawing come to life. The lyrics sound like tongue twisters said in the schoolyard, and the choreography sometimes looks like a bizarre game of tag where no one knows the rules. But this all comes together to encompass the chaotic energy of a child. It’s a fun musical for kids and adults alike.
But it’s more than fun for the kids that occupy the seats in the theater. The musical serves as a battle cry for them: Read, play, imagine and rise up. Throughout the show the kids are called losers, foul-smelling, pathetic and revolting. And in the final number the kids admit it, they are revolting — against injustice, and they will conquer the world.
“Never again will she get the best of me. Never again will she take away my freedom,” the kids sing. “And we won’t forget the day we fought for the right to be a little bit naughty. … We’ll be revolting children ‘til our revolting’s done. It’s too L-8-4-U. We are revolting!”
ON THE BILL: Matilda the Musical. Denver Performing Arts Complex, 1345 Champa St., Denver, 720-865-4239, Through Sept. 20.
