Act One
Matilda The Musical opens as a chorus of children boast "My mummy says I'm a miracle",and Mrs Wormwood, the ballroom-dancing obssessed T.V. addict gives birth to a beautiful baby girl called Matilda. Whilst the doctor professes Matilda as the most beautiful child he has ever seen, Mrs. Wormwood is more worried about a dancing-contest she has missed and Mr. Wormwood dismisses the child as an "ugly little thing". ('Miracle')
Five years later Matilda lives a very unhappy existence with Mr. and Mrs. Wormwood and her gormless older, brother Michael. Matilda can already read, going through several books a week. The Wormwoods are completely oblivious to Matilda's gift, frequently mocking and verbally abusing her. Matilda realises that sometimes, if you're going to make things right, you have to occasionally be a little bit 'Naughty'; so she swaps her father's hair oil for her mother's hydrogen peroxide, leaving Mr. Wormwood witha head of bright green hair.
The next day is Matilda's first day at school ('The School Song'). Her teacher, Miss Honey, is impressed immediately by Matilda's precociousness and ability, so she decides to recommend that Matilda is moved to the top class with all the older children ('Pathetic'). However, the headmistress Miss Trunchbull dismisses her suggestion and lectures Miss Honey on the importance of adhering strictly to "The Rules" ('The Hammer').
Back at the Wormwood household, Mr. Wormwood is becoming increasingly frustrated and takes this out on Matilda by destroying one of her library books, prompting her to put superglue around the rim of his hat ('Naughty (Reprise)').
At school, Matilda learns all about Miss Trunchbull's cruel punishments, including Chokey,which is a tiny, dank cupboard with broken glass and nails in the walls and floor that she locks naughty children in for hours ('The Chokey Chant'). Meanwhile, Miss Honey decides to pay a visit to the Wormwoodst to express her recommendation that Matilda should be put in an advanced class. Mrs. Wormwood only mocks Miss Honey's interest in books and intellect ('Loud'). Alone outside the Wormwood household, Miss Honey is becoming increasingly desperate to help Matilda ('This Little Girl').
Back at school, Bruce Bogtrotter, a boy in Matilda's class, has stolen a slice of Miss Trunchbull's chocolate cake. When she discovers this, she punishes Bruce by forcing him to eat an entire cake all by himself in front of the class, who all bravely support him ('Bruce'). After Bruce finishes the cake, the class celebrates his success but Miss Trunchbull drags Bruce away for the second part of his punishment: the dreaded Chokey.
Act Two
During the interval, Mr. Wormwood suddenly appears with a disclaimer, apologising for the show's rampant support for reading and warns all children that if they do choose to read they will go blind, become smelly and get verrucas of the mind. He then introduces what he considers to be "the pinnacle of man's success":TV" ('All I Know I Learnt From Telly').
After the 'Entr'acte,' the children sing about their future, Miss Honey laments and Matilda decides to put an end to Miss Trunchbull's horrible cruelty ('When I Grow Up'). Lavender, a girl in Matilda's class, confides in the audience that, after being given the task of preparing Miss Trunchbull's jug of water, she found a newt and put it in the jug.
The next day, Miss Trunchbull forces Miss Honey's class to take part in a grueling physical education lesson ('The Smell of Rebellion'). She goes to drink from her water jug, and discovers the newt inside and immediately accuses the first child she lays eyes on of putting it there. Matilda stands up and tells Miss Trunchbull off for being such a bully. Trunchbull launches into a tirade of verbal abuse against Matilda, but Matilda retreats in her mind going to a place where everything is 'Quiet' and discovers she has the ability to move real objects with her mind. With her newfound ability, she tips over the Trunchbull's water jug, soaking her in both water and newt. Later on, Matilda demonstrates her powers to Miss Honey who is completely taken aback, and invites Matilda back to her house for a cup of tea and a chat.
Miss Honey's home turns out to be nothing more than an old farm shed. Matilda discovers that Miss Honey has been forced to live in abject poverty by her cruel and abusive aunt, who looked after her as a child after her parents died. When Miss Honey first got her job as a teacher, her aunt promptly produced a bill of every meal and drink Miss Honey had ever had as a child, as well as any other conceivable expense, and then forced Miss Honey to sign a binding contract forcing her to pay it all back.
Despite all this, Miss Honey somehow manages to find a simple beauty in her meagre living conditions ('My House'). Miss Trunchbull, at her most cruel, has built many, many more Chokeys and forces the children to take part in a spelling test with anyone who fails to spell a word properly is sent to a Chokey. She discovers that the children have been taught very well by Miss Honey, so Trunchbull begins to invent words to force the children into Chokey. But Matilda uses her special powers and makes a piece of chalk write on the blackboard and make Miss Trunchbull believe that it is the ghost of Miss Honey's father demanding that Miss Trunchbull give his daughter ful inheritance and the family home and run away.
This causes Miss Trunchbull to run from the school screaming, and the children celebrate their new found anarchic freedom ('Revolting Children').
The show comes to an end with Matilda being allowed to live in happiness with Miss Honey.
Theatre tickets to all performances of Matilda The Musical at the Cambridge Theatre in London are available to book securely through this website.
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