In addition to the shows we watch as a class, I and a few of the students in the program wanted to extend the horizon and experience more. As I roamed through London, I saw posters for Matilda. Having read the book by Roald Dahl and having seen the film, I was eager to see it on stage. As a result, we went to the box office early Tuesday morning at the West End to line up for day tickets.
The experience of being in the theatre was a surreal mix of fact, fantasy, and reminiscence of childhood. Not long ago, I was a small child like Matilda and all the other children in the show. The set design on the walls and ceiling of the stage was boxes of letters of the alphabet. They were in different font types and were colourful – conveying the sense of playfulness and creativity in which I have slowly drifted away from…
Matilda’s important feature is the perspective of children and of children’s creativity. While watching the show, I was awed by Roald Dahl’s imagination and thoughtfulness into compiling this story. Nevertheless, there are elements of creativity and reality at the same time. Matilda is a prodigy who has psychokinetic powers and also has to overcome challenges of being neglected by her parents and being abused by her cruel headmistress, Miss Trunchbull. The ways in which she handles each situation are “adult-like”, and it is ironic that she seems to act in more mature manners than most of the adults in the story. The star who played Matilda on the particular night we went was Lilian Hardy. Her confidence and eloquence in speech and body language portray the image of an intelligent and assertive child, and stole the scene for many.
It is interesting experiencing Matilda as a young adult after not having had exposure to the story since I was a young child. Revisiting Matilda, I was surprised at how much violence there is. 10 years ago I wasn’t half as terrified by the emotional, mental, and physical abuse of the children and of Miss Honey, Matilda’s class teacher, simply because I wasn’t readily acquainted with the topic. During Miss Trunchbull’s severe punishment of the children and the audience’s realization that she had murdered Miss Honey’s father, I developed goose bumps and was petrified by the intensity of Matilda like I had never been before. The flashy stage lights and the loud ominous music magnified my terror when I comprehended how dark the storyline was.
If you haven’t already, I urge you to get a seat in Matilda and enjoy the ride as you amble the journey back to childhood, but this time, in a novel lens.
-Proud Chanarat, ’19
