- SARA SHEEN AND ABBIE VENA JOIN ZARIS-ANGEL HATOR AND CLARA READ IN THE TITLE ROLE OF MATILDA
- BOOKING EXTENDS TO OCTOBER 2017 AS MATILDA THE MUSICAL CELEBRATES FIFTH YEAR IN THE WEST END AND THE CENTENARY OF ROALD DAHL
- BRAND NEW VIDEO RELEASED FEATURING THE FOUR ACTRESSES LEARNING MAGIC TRICKS WITH ILLUSIONIST PAUL KIEVE – AVAILABLE HERE
- NEW CASTING ANNOUNCED FOR ADULT ENSEMBLE AND CHILDREN
Ahead of celebrations for its fifth birthday in the West End this autumn and Roald Dahl’s centenary on 13 September, the Royal Shakespeare Company’s multi award-winning production of Matilda The Musical has announced that Sara Sheen and Abbie Vena will join Zaris-Angel Hator and Clara Read in the title role from 13 September 2016. Tickets for the new booking period, which includes performances at the Cambridge theatre between 30 May and 15 October 2017, will go on sale on the centenary of Roald Dahl’s birth, 13 September.
To mark the arrival of the show’s new young actresses, a video has been released today of the four girls taking part in a special magic workshop with Paul Kieve, the theatre illusionist behindMatilda The Musical’s on-stage magic and special effects.
Craige Els continues in the role of Miss Trunchbull, having first stepped into the girdle in September 2014. Also remaining in the company are Michael Begley as Mr Wormwood, Miria Parvin as Miss Honey and Rebecca Thornhill who plays Mrs Wormwood.
The rest of the adult cast comprises Richard Astbury, Oliver Brooks, Collette Coleman, Maria Graciano, Elliot Harper, Daniel Hope, Daniel Ioannou, Kate Kenrick, Katie Lee, Fergal McGoff, Tom Muggeridge, Matthew Rowland, Matthew Serafini, Biancha Szynal, Laura Tyrerand Sharlene Whyte.
The young performers who will be joining the London company in the three teams playing the roles of Bruce, Lavender, Amanda and the rest of the pupils at Crunchem Hall are as follows:Nicholas Antoniou-Tibbitts, Molly Beech, Hannah Bouhamdi, Max Brophy, Olivia Calladine-Smith, Elena Cervesi, Lydia Coghlan, Anya Evans, Miles Harcombe, Michael Hawkins, Sam Jennings, Harrison Langham, Ben Lewis, Craig Noakes, Tia Palamathanan, Owen Pennington, Charlotte Ross-Gower, Alexander Stuckey, Felix Warren and Scarlett Wennink.
Child cast members Oliver Llewelyn-Williams, Maxim Samartsev, Ynez Williams, Maisy-May Woods-Smeeth and Dora Yolland will continue in their current roles.
Winner of over 70 international awards, including 15 for Best Musical, Matilda The Musical has been seen by more than five million people worldwide. Having swept the board at the 2012 Olivier Awards, winning a record-breaking seven awards, Matilda The Musical went on to open on Broadway at the Shubert Theatre in March 2013. Produced by the Royal Shakespeare Company and The Dodgers, the show won four Tony Awards® and a Tony Honor for Excellence in the Theater for each of the four girls sharing the title role.
In 2015 the London and Broadway productions were joined by the North American and Australian tours. After opening to rave reviews in Sydney last year, the Australian production recently won a record-breaking 13 Helpmann Awards. Matilda The Musical will play at Melbourne’s Princess Theatre until November 2016 before touring to Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide.
Matilda The Musical is produced in the West End by the Royal Shakespeare Company with André Ptaszynski and Denise Wood as Executive Producers. The production was developed with the support of Company Dramaturg Jeanie O’Hare and the RSC Literary Department.
Matilda The Musical is written by Dennis Kelly, with music and lyrics by Tim Minchin, and direction by Matthew Warchus. The production is designed by Rob Howell, with choreography by Peter Darling, orchestrations, additional music and musical supervision by Christopher Nightingale, lighting by Hugh Vanstone, sound by Simon Baker and the special effects and illusions are by Paul Kieve.