In 2010 I had the pleasure of chatting to comedian and lyricist Tim Minchin about a new project he’d been working on with director Matthew Warchus and writer Dennis Kelly. 

The said project was a musical version of Roald Dahl’s award-winning book, Matilda. Tim’s enthusiasm for the project was palpable, but in that moment it was just another new show, commissioned by the Royal Shakespeare Theatre as its Christmas offering for that very same year. 

I listened as Tim spoke about how much he’d enjoyed the experience but how he’d nearly declined any involvement, citing his busy schedule as the reason. 

As for the longevity of Matilda, Tim was edging his bets: “I think it’s too early to say. I guess it needs someone with a big cheque book to come along and make a decision, but I certainly hope that it lives for a long time.” 

As soon as the curtain came down on that very first performance in Stratford-upon-Avon on the 9 November 2010, the destiny of Matilda was sealed. The show was a hit. The critics loved it. The audiences loved it more. Word quickly spread about the inspiring story of a super-gifted young girl.  
Twelve months on, in October 2011, Matilda opened at the Cambridge Theatre in the West End, where it continues to show to this day.

During the interim years, it has become one of the most successful musicals of all time, smashing records and casting its shadow across some of the world’s most iconic stage shows. 
Matilda has now gone full circle and is this month coming home to the Midlands for a 10-week run at the Birmingham Hippodrome. 

Tim, Dennis and Matthew still have an active involvement with the show, and the RSC’s creative team are completely involved, ensuring the production remains very much as the Company intended. 
Indeed, as Catherine Mallyon, Executive Director of the Royal Shakespeare Company, recently pointed out, there have been very few changes to the show, regardless of where in the world it has been presented.

“There are changes which may be noticeable, depending on how well you know the production. These have to be made to adapt the show to the different venues. There are certain special effects that you can do one way in a particular venue but that need to be done differently elsewhere. The words, the music, the design, the dances, the costumes are still the same.”

Matilda’s universal appeal has seen the show performed to almost eight million people across the world. 
“It travels really well,” says Catherine, “although on the North American tour, we found that if it goes to a city where there isn’t that familiarity with Roald Dahl, the audience find it slightly unexpected. They still have an absolutely great time, but you can tell that they’re feeling their way into it. 

“When we play it here in the UK, in the States, and certainly in Australasia, the response from people who’ve grown up with Roald Dahl - not necessarily the story, but the style - is amazing. Everybody just falls in love with it. 

“Interestingly, on Broadway there were some tweaks made for local audiences. The Escape Artist, as he was called there, is actually known as the Escapologist in other productions. We found that there are certain words which can act as a barrier elsewhere, and therefore we felt we needed to change. That apart, it’s extraordinary to me that that feeling of joy in the audience is the same wherever you see the show. It’s amazing how we all respond (universally) to live theatre.”

The joy of Matilda, with its addictive score, larger-than-life characters - we’re talking Miss Trunchbull here - and uplifting storyline ensures that you never tire of seeing the show. Catherine herself has lost count of the number of times she’s seen it - and almost every time she finds something new...
“It’s a very rich production in that sense. There are so many things to look at, to listen to, to follow. It’s a real feast for the senses.”

Numerous professional and amateur versions of Dahl’s works are regularly performed on stages up and down the country, and a recent big screen adaptation of the BFG received plenty of critical acclaim. So what is it about the author’s stories that make them so appealing to produce?

“They’re all so imaginative and original that you can really scale them up for the stage. The beauty of Matilda is the way that the book was developed by the creative team - in particular by Dennis and Tim - weaving a new story into it and really giving it even more depth of theatricality than the book had in the first place. It’s a wonderfully clever piece of adaptation. 

“The fact that it’s been seen by almost eight million people across the world is an interesting stat, but what I love is the story behind that, which is that virtually every one of those people will have had a great time seeing the show. And that’s an awful lot of people.”

Matilda The Musical shows at Birmingham Hippodrome from Tuesday 3 July to Saturday 8 September.