Matilda the Musical ends its Broadway January 1, 2017, but the little girl with the super powers will be spreading her magic across the U.S. in the coming year with a full Equity national tour that launches January 12 in Albuquerque, NM.
The Tim Minchin tuner based on Roald Dahl's novelette opened on Broadway April 11, 2013, and will have played 37 previews and 1,555 regular performances at the Shubert Theatre.
Matilda the Musical tells the story of a little girl who refuses to be ground down by parents who despise her or by a cartoonishly evil school headmistress named Miss Trunchbull who is determined to break her spirit. With the help of her kindly schoolteacher Miss Honey, Matilda uses her intelligence, her love of books, and a mysterious secret super power to prevail over those who would repress her—and to turn Miss Honey's life around, too.
The show has employed multiple young actors who have alternated in the title role. The initial four girls won a collective special Tony Honor for Excellence in Theatre. The show also won four regular Tony Awards: Best Book of a Musical, Best Featured Actor in a Musical, Best Scenic Design of a Musical, and Best Lighting Design of a Musical.
Produced by the Royal Shakespeare Company and The Dodgers, the show closes in the black, having earned back its initial $16 million investment.
Tickets for the final Broadway performance can be ordered at Telecharge.com, (212)-239-6200 or in person at the Shubert Theatre box office, 225 West 44th Street in Manhattan.
The touring company of the elaborate stage production is headed for San Diego, Atlanta, Minneapolis, and at least 16 other cities. Produced by the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Dodgers, the tour will employ some of the personnel from the long-running Toronto production, which ends January 7 at the Ed Mirvish Theatre, including three performers who will alternate as Matilda. Direct from Toronto, the three girls sharing the title role are Hannah Levinson, Jaime MacLean, and Jenna Weir. The principal cast also features Paula Brancati (Miss Honey), Dan Chameroy (Miss Trunchbull), Keisha T. Fraser (Mrs. Phelps), Brandon McGibbon (Mr. Wormwood), and Darcy Stewart (Mrs. Wormwood).
Here are the stops planned so far:
Albuquerque, NM – Popejoy Hall – January 12-15, 2017
Costa Mesa, CA – Segerstrom Hall – January 17-29, 2017
San Diego, CA – Civic Theatre – January 31-February 5, 2017
Tempe, AZ – ASU Gammage – February 7-12, 2017
Salt Lake City, UT – Eccles Theater – February 21-26, 2017
Portland, OR – Keller Auditorium – February 28-March 5, 2017
San Jose, CA – Center for the Performing Arts – March 7-12, 2017
Las Vegas, NV – Smith Center – March 14-19, 2017
Sioux Falls, SD – Washington Pavilion – March 22-26, 2017
Minneapolis, MN – Orpheum Theatre – March 28-April 2, 2017
Cincinnati, OH – Aronoff Center for the Arts – April 4-16, 2017
Atlanta, GA – Fox Theatre – April 18-23, 2017
Ft. Lauderdale, FL – Broward Center – April 25-May 7, 2017
Orlando, FL – Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts – May 9-14, 2017
Providence, RI – Providence Performing Arts Center – May 17-21, 2017
Raleigh, NC – Memorial Auditorium – May 23-28, 2017
Lincoln, NE – Lied Center – May 31-June 3, 2017
San Antonio, TX – Majestic Theatre – June 6-11, 2017
Fort Worth, TX – Bass Performance Hall – June 13-18, 2017
Tulsa, OK – Chapman Music Hall – June 20-25, 2017
More stops may be added.
Matilda premiered at the Royal Shakespeare Company's Courtyard Theatre in November 2010 and later transferred to the West End's Cambridge Theatre, where it continues to run. The Royal Shakespeare Company and The Dodgers present the Broadway run.
Read reviews for the Broadway Matilda here.
Tony Award-winning director Matthew Warchus (God of Carnage, The Norman Conquests, Boeing-Boeing, La Bête, Ghost) staged the inventive, kid-packed musical that has a book by Dennis Kelly and a score by Minchin.
According to producers, Matilda is the “story of an extraordinary little girl who decides that despite a bad beginning filled with rotten parents, a terrifying school and a vicious head mistress, her story is going to be an astonishing one. With the help of her teacher, her friends and a little bit of imagination, Matilda proves that even if you're little, you can do big things.”
The production has set and costume design by Rob Howell, with choreography by Peter Darling, orchestrations, additional music, and musical supervision by Christopher Nightingale, lighting design by Hugh Vanstone, and sound design by Simon Baker.
Check out Playbill.com's highlights from Matilda:
