...to think Matilda was well errr OK???

[1million]

Took DS on Tues evening after finally getting tickets (Have tried last 3 years for Kids week) and well we thought it was "ok" - kids are obviously talented without a doubt but I don't get the hype? First half was well pretty boring DS even said so picked up 2nd half but really, didn't think it was great!

Sits back and waits to be shot down

We thought it was brilliant and enjoyed every second. I loved the music and I thought the acting was brilliant. I go to the theatre every few weeks and Matlida stands out to me. I'm not usually a fan of musicals either.

....but everyone likes different things so you are NBU not to have enjoyed it.

We're seeing Wicked in a few weeks' time on Kidsweek.

The Lion King blew us away - acting, set, music, performances both adult and child

We are seeing Bodyguard (purely for Beverly knight not the show itself) & Beautiful the week after next.

Saw Kinky Boots last week.

balletgirl you won't be disappointed with the bodyguard. I actually won tickets to see that and despite not being a fan of the film, the talent of the actors was amazing. I even got up and had a dance!!

Both my teenager DC adored Matilda, DS saw it 3 times and took me for my birthday last year, DD seen it twice. DH and I really enjoyed i. When I grow up, Revolting Children and Naughty are brilliant. i love Tim Minchin
DD saw Charlie twice and was very underwhelmed , only went back because she wanted to see if it was as bad as she remembered and had £5 tickets.

Dd is doing a Dance Workshop st the theatre before the show

Oh wow we thought it was way better than Charlie and the Chocolate Factory! Tim Minchin's lyrics and sooooo good and the staging was v clever. We didn't take kids though if that makes a difference!

I kind of agree op. I had already seen some clips on YouTube and royal variety etc so I slightly spoilt it for myself by watching all the good bits! But I also think Munching is massively over reaching. The songs are not easy at all and are imho in an odd key for prepubescent children (but I'm not a singer so am happy to be corrected). There's a lot of speak-singing which again is tricky to do well.

Then there's a large section in the second act where Matilda speaks and sings over the orchestra for a long period. This would be a huge challenge for any performer, let alone a child. Commanding the stage and the audience attention for that long is tough and I just don't see how a child can manage it. The child we saw was excellent, beautiful voice, expressive performance. But a child shouting over an orchestra is just not that engaging. She isn't shouting because she can't sing, she seems to be shouting because that's how Minchin has written it? It doesn't work at all.

Set - wonderful, script and lyrics - very funny, overall - relies far too heavily on just one child and doesn't use the other children enough.

You should get the DVD, OP - I love that film.

It's so disappointing when you believe the hype and it just doesn't live up to that for you.

I felt like that about Mamma Mia, in fact I thought it was rubbish and in our performance, quite a few people left. This was before it got redone and hyped up though, but I couldn't get over the crappiness of the story.

I'd love to see Matilda now to see what I think.

Seen it twice and loved it both times. My musical hating husband even loved it.

I've seen it twice and it's my favourite out of all of the West End children's shows we've seen (Lion King, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Railway Children etc.). We had been listening to the soundtrack for sometime before we went though which I think helped - Tim Minchin really captures Roald Dahl's sense of humour for me in his lyrics and knowing the songs well definitely added to our enjoyment.
I agree though, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is more visually impressive, although some scenes in Matilda are just beautiful to watch.

I felt like that about Mamma Mia, in fact I thought it was rubbish and in our performance, quite a few people left. This was before it got redone and hyped up though, but I couldn't get over the crappiness of the story.

I still mourn the 2 hours of my life I was forced by a mental friend to watch the film. No amount of brain bleach could erase the hideousness of sight, story nor sound of that car crash. Only way I'd ever go to the live show is in an urn.

We saw it on Broadway. I thought it was so so but DH and DS cheerfully described it as the most painful couple of hours of their lives. At one point DS' shoulders were shuddering he was chortling to himself so hard, so bad were some of he accents.

I enjoyed it - don't think I'd bother with musicals like Mamma Mia, The BodyGuard etc. I also enjoyed Les Miserables.

I agree that the orchestra is almost always too LOUD.

I also think the volume of films in the cinema is too LOUD.

Which is ironic I guess considering the title of one of the songs in Matilda.

We were there on Tuesday night too! Good ole Kids Week. Where were you sitting? If you saw a 6-year-old boy with curly hair leap onto his dad's knee during it (he was scared) then you were probably near us.

DD and I loved it (and so did DH, who is not a musicals fan).