Critical Reaction

"An evening of unadulterated bliss. Writer Dennis Kelly and composer and lyricist Tim Minchin go to the top of the class with this anarchically joyous, gleefully nasty and ingenious musical adaptation of Roald Dahl's story."
– The Guardian

"The most satisfying and subversive musical ever to come out of Britain... its melding of song, dance and story it s as classic as Oklahoma! ...[Matilda The Musical] works with astonishing slyness and grace to inculcate us with its radical point of view."
– The New York Times

"You have to go back to The Lion King to find a show with as much invention, spirit and genre-redefining verve. ...Minchin, a British stand-up comedian and musician, has written a score that seems all but woven into the scenery simple but distinctive tunes, with modest orchestrations (just a few horns, percussion and piano), intricate lyrics, a touch of jazz here, or wailing rock there, but all of a piece, integral to the show and like nothing else."
– TIME Magazine

"Utterly exhilarating.... [a] balance between gleeful, grotesque, fun and heart-tugging poignancy, brilliantly drilled dynamism and warm, unforced charm."
– The Independent

"Smart, quirky and sublimely good fun. ...A moving and subtle spectacle which will have kids in stitches and adults in tears. It is guaranteed to delight anyone who s ever been a child."
– TimeOut

"Once in a blue moon, a show comes out blazing and restores your faith in Broadway. Matilda The Musical is that show."
– The New York Post

"An absolute cracker of a show, bursting with dynamism, fizzing with verve. ...Irresistible and ingenious."
– The Daily Express

"Hilarious, moving, glorious. ...This show indeed has something miraculous about it."
– The Daily Telegraph

"Easily the standout musical of the decade. ...Heart-tugging and inexpressibly moving. ...The audience are sent out of the theatre glowing with emotion."
– The Sunday Times

"This funhouse fairy tale is by turns riotous and poignant, grotesque and menacing, its campy comic exaggeration equaled only by its transporting emotional power... the show has been adapted with narrative ingenuity, wit and enormous heart by playwright Dennis Kelly... Minchin's playful lyrics can be beautiful in their simplicity or hilariously clever in their irreverence."
– The Hollywood Reporter