Rachael Eyre's Blog - Posts Tagged "musical"
Adaptations Across Media (If you haven't read Matilda, here be spoilers!)
A generation before JK Rowling's boy wizard, there was one undisputed star of children's literature: Roald Dahl. His kid protagonists battled a series of formidable foes - giants, witches, revolting relatives - in deliciously macabre, warped scenarios. And though we owe much to Dahl, his last hurrah was undoubtedly his finest: the 1988 fantasy cum social satire, Matilda.
Matilda is the smartest, most resourceful heroine you're likely to meet. She's kind, courageous and uses her powers - intellectual and magical - for good. Too Mary Sue for words? Wrong. She's only five years old - yes, that bears repeating, five.
Most parents would count themselves lucky to have her, but the fates have assigned her Harry and Angela Wormwood, the sleaziest, most gormless pair ever to tie the knot. Harry is a crass, emotionally abusive salesman who believes putting sawdust in car engines is a valid business model. Angela is a brainless bimbo who neglects her children and turns a blind eye to her husband's bullying. If it wasn't for Matilda's quick wits, this would be a bleak set up, but she soon develops a coping strategy: whenever Harry insults her, she gets her own back.
Although Matilda's revenges are satisfying, not to say hilarious, the story hits its stride when she starts school. The aptly named Crunchem Hall is at the mercy of a real villain: its vicious, child hating martinet of a headmistress, Miss Trunchbull. Ghoulishly funny, utterly terrifying, she is arguably Dahl's greatest creation. (Many believed her to be a none too subtle nod to the then PM, Margaret Thatcher).
Thankfully Matilda finds a champion in beautiful, broken Miss Honey, her form teacher. But what is her mentor's dark secret, and how can Matilda save her? Will she rescue the school from the Trunchbull's tyranny?
Like many Brits my age, I was raised on Dahl books, and Matilda was far and away my favourite. As befits such a classic, it's had various high profile adaptations, notably a film in 1996 and the 2010 musical.
Although a musical buff, I approached the show with reservations. The Trunchbull has been designated a drag part - understandable, given her build and physicality, but considering there are so few meaty roles for women, this bothered me. I worried a child actress wouldn't be up to the demands of playing Matilda, and Dahl's matter of fact style would be swamped by sentimentality. With all these doubts in mind, I saw it a fortnight ago.
It was a triumph. Not only did it pass the musical litmus test - I'm humming the tunes days later - but in looks, lyrics and spirit, it was quintessentially Dahl. Mr Wormwood could have stepped straight from the illustrations with his tacky checked suits and ratty moustache; the Trunchbull made you forget you were watching a man, and played her as an all too believable, well spoken ogress. (I liked that she was the PE teacher in this incarnation; like many clumsy, dreamy writers, PE was the bane of my life). It expanded previously flat characters: Mrs Wormwood is now a ballroom dancing nut; Bruce Bogtrotter, victim of one of the Trunchbull's cruel and unusual punishments, is given a personality beyond "the fat kid". Michael, Matilda's bump on a log brother, manifests all the brain activity of a pot plant; this is used to comic effect.
All this makes it sound like a rollicking good wheeze, which it is. But - and this is a big but - it achieves moments of pathos, particularly with Miss Honey's backstory. It transpires that Miss Trunchbull is her aunt, and her primary caregiver after her beloved father Magnus died (actually murdered by the Trunchbull). While the original focuses on Matilda's magnificent revenge, here we're shown the horror and loneliness of Miss Honey's situation. Magnus is more than a chalk outline this time - it turns out the tragic story Matilda has been recounting to the town librarian is the true story of Miss Honey's family. My initial reaction was annoyance ("This wasn't in the book!"), but once I guessed the identity of the Escapologist, I didn't mind, and in fact welcomed the change. The musical isn't alone in giving him a bigger role: Miss Honey reminisces about him at length in the film, and Matilda "haunts" the Trunchbull by moving his portrait around. It leads us to appreciate what Miss Honey has lost, as well as what Matilda has never had.
Which adaptation is better, film or musical? The musical has touches you could only get away with on stage: its inventive sets, casting adults as the big kids, probably the best rendition of the Pigtails Incident. And where else could you have villains bursting into song about their misguided philosophies?
In its favour, the film is more low key and realistic (if such a word can be used here), coaxing naturalistic performances from its child stars. Pam Ferris, best known for playing mumsy British eccentrics, has a whale of a time as the Trunchbull. Her bloodthirsty exclamation of "Fresh meat!" as the new kids file in makes you laugh and shudder. As for Embeth Davidtz, not only is she the most toothsome version of Miss Honey to date, she captures both her insecurity and her gentleness; this would be most people's dream teacher. You want to pick up and cuddle the poor poppet. Despite unnecessary padding (did Harry have to be investigated by the FBI?), it remains the best Dahl film so far, with a 90% Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Matilda is the smartest, most resourceful heroine you're likely to meet. She's kind, courageous and uses her powers - intellectual and magical - for good. Too Mary Sue for words? Wrong. She's only five years old - yes, that bears repeating, five.
Most parents would count themselves lucky to have her, but the fates have assigned her Harry and Angela Wormwood, the sleaziest, most gormless pair ever to tie the knot. Harry is a crass, emotionally abusive salesman who believes putting sawdust in car engines is a valid business model. Angela is a brainless bimbo who neglects her children and turns a blind eye to her husband's bullying. If it wasn't for Matilda's quick wits, this would be a bleak set up, but she soon develops a coping strategy: whenever Harry insults her, she gets her own back.
Although Matilda's revenges are satisfying, not to say hilarious, the story hits its stride when she starts school. The aptly named Crunchem Hall is at the mercy of a real villain: its vicious, child hating martinet of a headmistress, Miss Trunchbull. Ghoulishly funny, utterly terrifying, she is arguably Dahl's greatest creation. (Many believed her to be a none too subtle nod to the then PM, Margaret Thatcher).
Thankfully Matilda finds a champion in beautiful, broken Miss Honey, her form teacher. But what is her mentor's dark secret, and how can Matilda save her? Will she rescue the school from the Trunchbull's tyranny?
Like many Brits my age, I was raised on Dahl books, and Matilda was far and away my favourite. As befits such a classic, it's had various high profile adaptations, notably a film in 1996 and the 2010 musical.
Although a musical buff, I approached the show with reservations. The Trunchbull has been designated a drag part - understandable, given her build and physicality, but considering there are so few meaty roles for women, this bothered me. I worried a child actress wouldn't be up to the demands of playing Matilda, and Dahl's matter of fact style would be swamped by sentimentality. With all these doubts in mind, I saw it a fortnight ago.
It was a triumph. Not only did it pass the musical litmus test - I'm humming the tunes days later - but in looks, lyrics and spirit, it was quintessentially Dahl. Mr Wormwood could have stepped straight from the illustrations with his tacky checked suits and ratty moustache; the Trunchbull made you forget you were watching a man, and played her as an all too believable, well spoken ogress. (I liked that she was the PE teacher in this incarnation; like many clumsy, dreamy writers, PE was the bane of my life). It expanded previously flat characters: Mrs Wormwood is now a ballroom dancing nut; Bruce Bogtrotter, victim of one of the Trunchbull's cruel and unusual punishments, is given a personality beyond "the fat kid". Michael, Matilda's bump on a log brother, manifests all the brain activity of a pot plant; this is used to comic effect.
All this makes it sound like a rollicking good wheeze, which it is. But - and this is a big but - it achieves moments of pathos, particularly with Miss Honey's backstory. It transpires that Miss Trunchbull is her aunt, and her primary caregiver after her beloved father Magnus died (actually murdered by the Trunchbull). While the original focuses on Matilda's magnificent revenge, here we're shown the horror and loneliness of Miss Honey's situation. Magnus is more than a chalk outline this time - it turns out the tragic story Matilda has been recounting to the town librarian is the true story of Miss Honey's family. My initial reaction was annoyance ("This wasn't in the book!"), but once I guessed the identity of the Escapologist, I didn't mind, and in fact welcomed the change. The musical isn't alone in giving him a bigger role: Miss Honey reminisces about him at length in the film, and Matilda "haunts" the Trunchbull by moving his portrait around. It leads us to appreciate what Miss Honey has lost, as well as what Matilda has never had.
Which adaptation is better, film or musical? The musical has touches you could only get away with on stage: its inventive sets, casting adults as the big kids, probably the best rendition of the Pigtails Incident. And where else could you have villains bursting into song about their misguided philosophies?
In its favour, the film is more low key and realistic (if such a word can be used here), coaxing naturalistic performances from its child stars. Pam Ferris, best known for playing mumsy British eccentrics, has a whale of a time as the Trunchbull. Her bloodthirsty exclamation of "Fresh meat!" as the new kids file in makes you laugh and shudder. As for Embeth Davidtz, not only is she the most toothsome version of Miss Honey to date, she captures both her insecurity and her gentleness; this would be most people's dream teacher. You want to pick up and cuddle the poor poppet. Despite unnecessary padding (did Harry have to be investigated by the FBI?), it remains the best Dahl film so far, with a 90% Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
