'Matilda: The Musical' wins raves for its Broadway opening
Critics are raving over the musical adaptation of the Roald Dahl children鈥檚 book 鈥淢atilda,鈥� which opened April 11.
The show, which opened in London in 2011, was similarly beloved in the UK. The seven Olivier Awards won by 鈥淢atilda鈥� in 2012 set a record for the most Oliviers ever received by a show.聽
However, as writer Emma Brockes noted in her review of the American show, 鈥渢here is tough competition on Broadway, and not everything travels.鈥�
But it鈥檚 hard to imagine how the reception to the Broadway production could be better.
鈥溾�橫atilda the Musical鈥� is the most satisfying and subversive musical ever to come out of Britain,鈥� reviewer Ben Brantley wrote in his review.
The review for ran with the headline: 鈥淢atilda: The Best Musical Since 鈥�The Lion King.鈥欌赌�
鈥淚t would be easy to call it the best British musical since聽Billy Elliot,聽but that, I鈥檓 afraid, would be underselling it,鈥� Time reporter Richard Zoglin wrote. 鈥淵ou have to go back to聽The Lion King聽to find a show with as much invention, spirit and genre-redefining verve.鈥�
writer Chris Jones called it 鈥渢he best family musical in years,鈥� while writer Elyse Gardner, who gave it three-and-a-half stars out of four, wrote that it鈥檚 鈥渢he smartest musical to arrive on Broadway in years鈥� Matilda is also affecting, and enchanting, in a way that homegrown hits of late haven't been.鈥�
The literary version of 鈥淢atilda鈥� was first published in 1988 and tells the story of the titular protagonist, the prodigy-level smart daughter of two neglectful parents who send her to a school ruled over by a cruel headmistress.
