Leicester Curve, Thursday 9th October 2025
It’s 15 years since Roald Dahl’s tale of a bright and daring little girl called Matilda was turned into a musical and to mark that milestone, a new UK and Ireland tour is kicking off in Leicester this week. Written by Dennis Kelly with music and lyrics by Tim Minchin, the show first previewed at the Royal Shakespeare Company’s Courtyard Theatre and was an instant hit that has since picked up a barrowload of awards.
Roald Dahl’s stories continue to delight generations of young minds, thrilled by his deliciously dark themes, gruesome villains and a smattering of naughty words to giggle at. From the moment she was born, Matilda was despised by the rest of the Wormwood family. Mr Wormwood (Adam Stafford) is a wheeler-dealer conman who can’t accept that Matilda is not a boy whilst the loud-mouthed Mrs Wormwood (Rebecca Thornhill) has a passion for getting up close and personal to her lithe ballroom dancing partner Rudolpho (Ryan Lay). Whilst Matilda devours books to the disgust of her folks, layabout brother Michael (Samuel Leon) lives only to watch the telly.
On starting school, Matilda outshines her fellow pupils with her exceptional talents for reading, spelling and storytelling, much to the astonishment of teacher Miss Honey (Tessa Kadler) and librarian Mrs Phelps (Esther Niles). School life is overshadowed however by the terrifying figure of headmistress Miss Trunchbull (Richard Hurst), for whom children are maggots to be broken down and bullied into submission. Everyone is terrified of the Trunchbull with her threats of Phys Ed and incarceration in ‘Choaky’, all that is except for Matilda. Ready to stand up for what is right, it is Matilda’s bravery and exceptional powers that are destined to put an end to Trunchbull’s rule of tyranny.
Every member of the adult cast shine in their roles. Stafford as the dim-witted rogue Mr Wormwood is the perfect accompaniment to Thornhill’s brash and boorish Mrs Wormwood. Their slapstick humour and comic timing help create figures that you love to hate. As Rudolpho, Lay pulls out some impressive acrobatic moves opposite Thornhill during the number Loud. As the other villain of the piece, Hurst’s Trunchbull is a masterclass of grotesque physicality and understated menace. Meanwhile Kadler’s Miss Honey sings as sweetly as her name and excels in some of the more tender moments of the evening as her love for Matilda develops.
At the heart of this show are a collection of remarkable children who alternate the roles of Matilda’s schoolmates. At this performance these included Matilda’s self-professed best friend Lavender (Dottie Jones), the cake-devouring Bruce (Brodie Robson) and red-headed rascal Nigel (Jacob Connor-Ashton). Their slick dance moves, vocal clarity and characterisation are a credit to them all under the direction of Matthew Roland, choreography of Michael Gardiner and musical direction of Andrew Corcoran and Jodie Oliver-Howar. A particular highlight is the children’s heartwarming number When I Grow Up, performed on swings that soar above the audience’s heads.
The standout performance of the evening however is the exceptionally talented Sanna Kurihara as Matilda. Despite her young age, Sanna is a triple threat who already has impressive professional credits to her name and who commands the stage with ease. From the moment she walks forward on stage she has the audience captivated, only to soar to ever greater heights during her solo numbers Naughty and Quiet. This little girl makes a huge impact on the Curve audience and there are few dry eyes in the house when all comes good during the final sequence between Matilda and Miss Honey.
Matilda is a feelgood phenomenon that reconnects you to your childhood hopes and dreams. You may laugh, you may cry, but most of all you will be thoroughly entertained.
