Review: Matilda the Musical | UK tour, Edinburgh - Magnificent family entertainment

Name: Matilda the Musical
Brand: UK tour
Rating: 4 (1 reviews)

Lisa in the theatre
2 days ago
4 min read

Updated: 9 hours ago

West End hit Matilda the musical is at Edinburgh Playhouse until 22 March. I headed along to check it out on World Book Day 2026 for what proved to be the perfect bookish, stagey crossover! Read my review of Matilda the Musical, UK tour below.

Matilda the musical UK tour ★★★★☆

Review: 5 March 2026 | Edinburgh Playhouse

Based on Roald Dahl's beloved book and characters, Matilda the Musical has been such a success in London's West End that it has now played for over fifteen years at the Cambridge Theatre. With a book by playwright Dennis Kelly, and music and lyrics by comedian Tim Minchin, Matilda the Musical takes Dahl's story of a spirited, highly intelligent, reading-obsessed five-year-old girl and brings it to brilliant, theatrical life on stage.

Matilda is an extraordinary little girl who is unappreciated by her vile parents. She spends time at the library rather than at home, and makes up rich stories with her vivid imagination. At five-years-old she is sent to a school run by the child-hating Miss Trunchbull, who terrorises her pupils with the threat of The Chokey (a spike-filled cupboard.) Fed up with being bullied at home and at school, Matilda uses her sharp mind to play mischievous pranks on the adults, change her own destiny and takes a stand for revolting children everywhere.

Matilda The Musical UK Tour. Photo credit: Manuel Harlan — Matilda The Musical UK Tour. Photo: Manuel Harlan

Gloriously grotesque adult characters!

Produced by the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) and directed by Matthew Warchus, Matilda the Musical stays true to the darkly funny spirit of Roald Dahl's book, and does an exceptional job of realising his gloriously grotesque adult characters.

Matilda's ludicrous parents - Mr Wormwood (an exquisite comic turn from Adam Stafford) and Mrs Wormwood (the excellent Rebecca Thornhill) - are vivid and over-the-top; while Richard Hurst's Miss Trunchbull is a sublime creation. He is practically a Quentin Blake illustration come to life. But better.

Miss Trunchbull has traditionally been played by a man in Matilda the Musical, and this works well to exaggerate her features, her towering height and dominion over the tiny children. Hurst's portrayal of The Trunchbull is exceptional; he steals the show every second that he's onstage. He does so with pantomime villain-esque comedy horror rather than outright threat or terror, and as a result, the auditorium was full of delighted, squealing children.

I have never seen young children so engaged in a long theatre show! It's a heartwarming and reassuring experience to be in the midst of rapt, jubilant children in a theatre (who will hopefully become the next generation of avid theatre-goers) and their relieved parents. Matilda the Musical knows its audience, and it delivers exactly what they want.

Revolting Children? Astonishing Children

For press night in Edinburgh, Matilda was played by the astonishing Madison Davis; a role played in rotation on the UK tour by Madison, Mollie Hutton, Olivia Ironmonger and Sanna Kurihara.

Edinburgh Playhouse is the largest theatre in the UK, and we had this impossibly tiny bubble of talent as the leading lady, standing on the vast stage, with over 3,000 people staring back at her. A confident, enchanting performance, Davis made for the perfect, precocious Matilda.

We also had the joy of sparkling superstar in the making, Carter-J Murphy as Bruce. The role of Bruce is shared on tour by Carter-J, Oisin-Luca Pegg, Brodie Robson and Takunda Khumalo.

Matilda and Bruce are supported by a multi-talented cast of highly trained child actors who play their classmates; and a fabulous adult company who play the older children at Crunchem Hall (and more). The ensemble perfectly executes Peter Darling's energetic and complex choreography so that the stage is always bursting with interest and movement.

Tim Minchin's original songs elevate Matilda's story with the highlights being 'Naughty', When I Grow Up' and the particularly clever 'School Song'. There were a few slight sound issues at Edinburgh Playhouse where some dialogue in ensemble numbers was lost to either the cavernous size of the auditorium or the volume of the backing music, and 'School Song' was one example where a few snippets of Minchin's genius wordplay unfortunately went astray at the back of Rob Howell's jaw-dropping, alphabet block-lined stage.

Tessa Kadler showcases her exquisite voice and Minchin's talents for a ballad in 'My House', but it's Matilda the Musical's anthem 'Revolting Children' that soars highest of all the musical numbers on the night. Never has a double meaning been so appropriate as in this incredible, upbeat, rousing song and dance number.

Matilda the Musical is timeless

There's a timeless nature to Matilda the musical. It's not outdated at all, but it is gentle enough for younger children to enjoy, while being full of cheek and hilarity that will thrill older children and adults. The storytelling is fast-paced, and Dahl's message that it's good for children to find comfort and enjoyment in reading and books rather than on a TV screen easily resonates with the same challenge we face with mobile phone screens today.

It's little wonder that Matilda the Musical has played in the West End for over 15 years now. With exceptional production values, mind-blowing illusions and a remarkably talented, well-drilled cast, Matilda is a rare, true family-friendly theatre show.

Matilda the Musical is a joy of a production, wildly entertaining for all ages and it's sure to delight new audiences for years to come. Viva la revolución! ★★★★☆