‘Matilda’ brings her unlikely powers to Segerstrom Center’s stage
She’s considered Broadway’s biggest little hero, able to overcome adversity and move objects through mind power.
She’s Matilda, a plucky 5-year-old book lover who, despite mistreatment by her parents and headmistress, sets out to reclaim her young life.
The fantasy comedy is told in “Matilda the Musical,” a London import that will open Jan. 17 in Costa Mesa, at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts’s Segerstrom Hall.
The winner of 50 international awards, including four Tony Awards, was brought to the stage by the Royal Shakespeare Company, a major British theater company.
The musical adaptation of Roald Dahl’s 1988 children’s novel — a story that also found an audience as a 1996 movie starring Rhea Perlman and Danny DeVito — features a Tony-winning book by Dennis Kelly. It is directed by Matthew Warchus, whose productions include “Hamlet,” “God of Carnage” and “Ghost: The Musical.”
Warchus spent two years turning “Matilda” into a musical, and he turned to friend Rob Howell to create the show’s set design and costumes.
Warchus met Howell about 25 years ago at the Royal Shakespeare Company, where Howell worked as a resident design assistant. The two had worked on several shows over their intertwining careers, including “Peter Pan” and “The End Game.”
Howell had designed sets and costumes around the world but primarily in the United Kingdom, including involvement with the Royal Court, Royal National Theatre, Royal Shakespeare Company and Royal Opera House. And he had designed pieces for Broadway shows “Ghost,” “Boeing-Boeing” and “True West.”
He embarked on the creative work and then watched the show open in 2010, thinking it would finish its 12-week trial over the holidays.
Tickets sold out at the Stratford-upon-Avon premiere, and a few months later the Royal Shakespeare Company confirmed that the show would transfer to the West End the following fall season. The musical made its Broadway premiere in 2013.
“Matilda” earned widespread critical acclaim and box office popularity, winning seven Olivier Awards and four Tony Awards, including Best Book of a Musical.
“We approached the production as adults and took it seriously in a way that it could delight everybody,” Howell said by phone from his home in London. “It speaks to adults and kids in the same room.”
The story follows Matilda Wormwood, a girl with a big imagination and a sharp mind whose talents are constantly belittled by her cruel parents and school’s headmistress. As she dreams of a better life for herself, she realizes her special powers and takes a stand against oppressive forces.
Dahl, author of beloved classics such as “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” and “The BFG,” has been hailed as one of the most successful children’s writer in the world.
Howell, already familiar with the novel, having read several of Dahl’s books to his children, briefly talked about the writing with Warchus. And then for a few days, which turned into a few months, he headed into what he called a “lonely place,” where he conjured a set design and costumes for the comedic play.
Initially, he imagined scenery popping out of school desks but determined that would appear too childish and not tie into learning, he said.
So he chose a set filled with large alphabet tiles instead, since each letter would have a common value that children and adults could understand. The tiles form a sort of Scrabble board where letters move around, suggesting not only Matilda’s powers but also offering clues to the audience.
His imagination won him Drama Desk, Outer Critic’s Circle and Tony awards for “Matilda,” adding to his previous Tony nominations and three Oliviers for best set designer.
“When you don’t have an idea, it gets lonely and then challenging in other ways,” Howell said. “What starts as a simple idea turns into a complex show, and there’s no reduction to it.”
One particular show number that stands out to him is “Naughty,” which he views as a message for all ages about plowing through the challenging times.
“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.
Howell said he hopes that audiences see that “magic” is really all around us.
“The show celebrates what an unlikely child can do, and that is fantastically moving to watch and listen to,” Howell said. “It’s our hope that people understand the power of creative thinking, because when you can think creatively, something happens.”
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IF YOU GO
What: “Matilda the Musical”
When: 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays through Fridays; 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturdays and 1 and 6:30 p.m. Sundays from Jan. 17 to 29
Where: Segerstrom Center for the Arts, 600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa
Cost: Tickets start at $29
Information: (714) 556-2787 or visit scfta.org.
Twitter: @KathleenLuppi
