"Sometimes you have to be a little bit naughty"
Matilda Wormwood is the title character in Matilda the Musical.
Character []
Matilda is extraordinarily intelligent for her age, harboring a strong love for books, much unlike her dim-witted parents. She eventually develops a close bond with her teacher, Miss Honey, the first adult to recognize her abilities, and her principal Archibald Trilby.
Unlike the film, the musical adaptation emphasizes her imagination and ability to tell stories, rather than her telekenesis. She frequently visits Mrs. Phelps at the library to tell her the story of an incredible Acrobat and Escape Artist (originally Escapologist). Throughout the story, she discusses their new feat: "The Burning Woman Hurling Through the Air With Dynamite in Her Hair Over Sharks and Spikey Objects Caught By the Man Locked in the Cage."
Trivia []
- The four original West End Matildas (Kerry, Sophia, Cleo and Eleanor) shared the Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical in 2012.
- Eleanor Worthington-Cox, at age 10, is the youngest recipient of the award ever.
- The four original Broadway Matildas (Oona, Sophia, Bailey and Milly) were not eligible for a Tony nomination for their work; instead, they received a Tony Honor for Excellence in Theatre.
- The longest running Matildas are currently Lara Wollington, Abbie Vena, Maisie Mardle, Victoria Alsina, Laurel Sumberg, Heidi Williams and Sophia Goodman.
- Zaris-Angel Hator is the oldest Matilda ever to have played the role at thirteen years of age.
- Matilda delivers over 2,500 words in the show.
- Matilda commands the stage for around 1 hour and 35 minutes.
- Matilda has a solo part in 4 songs, is in the ensemble for 3, and has 2 solo songs.
- In the stratford upon avon production, Matilda was originally in the song Revolting Children.
- Matildas have come from 7 different countries
- Because of child actor labor regulations along with the demands of the role itself, it is customary for three to four girls to play the role of Matilda in most productions, with each Matilda playing two or three performances per week and standing by for another two or three.
- Four girls currently share the role on the West End production.
- The Broadway production opened with four girls sharing the role; by the end of its run, three girls shared the role.
- The original Stratford production had three girls sharing the role.
- Four girls currently share the role of Matilda in the UK and Ireland Tour.
Current Matildas[]
West End[]
- Estella Evans (September 2023-Present)
- Anna Deikalo (March 2024-Present)
- Ava Posniak (March 2024-Present)
- Sophia Saravanan (March 2024-Present)
International Tour[]
- Yolani Balfour
- Donna Craig
- Myla Williams
Past Matildas[]
Stratford Upon Avon[]
- Adrianna Bertola (November 2010–January 2011)
- Kerry Ingram (November 2010–January 2011)
- Josie Griffiths (November 2010–January 2011)
NOTE: Kerry Ingram was the only Matilda to transfer onto the West End cast; Adrianna and Josie were unfortunately unable to transfer due to their height.
West End[]
- Kerry Ingram (October 2011–April 2012)
- Sophia Kiely (October 2011–April 2012)
- Cleo Demetriou (October 2011-August 2012)
- Eleanor Worthington-Cox (October 2011–August 2012)
- Jade Marner (April–August 2012)
- Isobelle Molloy (April–August 2012) (original West End cast as Amanda)
- Hayley Canham (April 2012–March 2013)
- Lucy-Mae Beacock (September 2012–May 2013)
- Chloe Hawthorn (August 2012–September 2013)
- Lara Wollington (August 2012–September 2013)
- Elise Blake (March 2013–March 2014)
- Cristina Fray (March 2013–March 2014)
- Georgia Pemberton (September 2013–April 2014)
- Lollie McKenzie (September 2013–September 2014)
- Cara Jenkins (March–October 2014)
- Tasha Chapple (March 2014–March 2015)
- Lottie Sicilia (March 2014–April 2015)
- Matilda Shapland (September 2014–September 2015)
- Violet Tucker (September 2014–October 2015)
- Lara McDonnell (March 2015–March 2016)
- Anna-Louise Knight (March 2015–April 2016)
- Evie Hone (September 2015– September 2016)
- Lizzie Wells (September 2015–March 2016)
- Emily-May Stephenson (March 2016- October 2016)
- Clara Read (March 2016-March 2017)
- Zaris-Angel Hator (March 2016-March 2017)
- Sara Sheen (September 2016-March 2017)
- Abbie Vena (September 2016-September 2017)
- Éva-Marie Saffrey (March 2017-September 2017)
- Lilian Hardy (March 2017- September 2017)
- Emma Moore (March 2017- March 2018)
- Kitty Peterkin (September 2017-March 2018)
- Savannah Read (September 2017-September 2018)
- Lilly Mae Evans (September 2017-September 2018)
- Sara Munday (March 2018-March 2019)
- Olivia Wells (March 2018-March 2019)
- Isobel Hubble (September 2018-September 2019)
- Francesca McKeown (September 2018-September 2019)
- Hannah Selk (March 2019-September 2019)
- Zoe Simon (March 2019-March 2020, September 2021-March 2022)
- Olivia Juno Cleverly (September 2019-March 2020)
- Alex Munden (September 2019-March 2020, September 2021-March 2022)
- Tilly-Raye Bayer (September 2019-March 2020, March 2022-September 2022)
- Imogen Cole (September 2021-April 1st 2022)
- Alyssa D'Souza (September 2021-March 2022)
- Isla Gie (March 2022-September 2022)
- Isabella Jonsson (March 2022-September 2022)
- Maisie Mardle (April 4th 2022 -April 23rd 2023)
- Victoria Alsina (September 2022-September 2023)
- Laurel Sumberg (September 2022-September 2023)
- Heidi Williams (September 2022-September 2023)
- Sophia Goodman (March 2023-March 2024)
- Selena Karir (September 2023-March 2024)
- Arabella Stanton (September 2023-March 2024)
Broadway []
- Oona Laurence (March 4, 2013-December 15, 2013)
- Sophia Gennusa (March 5, 2013-December 21, 2013)
- Milly Shapiro (March 8, 2013-January 18, 2014)
- Bailey Ryon (March 9, 2013-January 11, 2014)
- Paige Brady (December 19, 201-August 23, 2014)
- Gabriella Pizzolo (December 23, 2013-September 12, 2014)
- Ripley Sobo (January 12, 2014-August 30, 2014)
- Ava Ulloa (January 18, 2014-September 6, 2014)
- Fina Strazza (August 24, 2014-July 18, 2015)
- Brooklyn Shuck (August 31, 2014-May 28, 2015)
- Eliza Holland Madore (September 7, 2014-June 28, 2015)
- Tori Feinstein (September 14, 2014-July 25, 2015, November 15, 2016-December 31, 2016)
- Mattea Conforti (July 4, 2015-May 7, 2016)
- Rileigh McDonald (July 12. 2015–April 16, 2016)
- Mimi Ryder (July 19, 2015–April 23, 2016)
- Alexandra Vlachos (July 26, 2015–April 29, 2016)
- Ava Briglia (April 17, 2016–December 30, 2016)
- Aviva Winick (April 24, 2016–November 19, 2016)
- Willow McCarthy (May 8, 2016–January 1, 2017)
NOTE: Sophia Gennusa played Matilda during its formal Broadway debut (not counting previews); Willow McCarthy played the last ever performance of Matilda on Broadway; Tori Feinstein temporarily rejoined the cast after Aviva Winwick left early.
Acrobat Tour[]
- Gabby Gutierrez (May 16, 2015–January 10, 2016)
- Mabel Tyler (May 17, 2015–December 20, 2015)
- Mia Sinclair Jenness (May 19, 2015–November 25, 2015)
- Tori Feinstein (December 5, 2015–December 27, 2015)
- Savannah Grace Elmer (December 19, 2015–June 19, 2016)
- Lily Brooks O'Briant (January 2, 2016–June 26, 2016)
- Sarah McKinley Austin (January 9, 2016–June 22, 2016)
'NOTE: Tori Feinstein temporarily joined the cast after Mia left early; Gabby Gutierrez later rejoined the tour.
Toronto[]
- Sarah McKinley Austin (July 2016)
- Hannah Levinson (June 2016-January 2017)
- Jenna Weir (June 2016-January 2017)
- Jaime MacLean (July 2016-January 2017)
NOTE: Hannah, Jenna and Jaime continued to play Matilda on the US Acrobat Tour after their Toronto runs.
Sydney[]
- Molly Barwick (July 29, 2015-February 27, 2016)
- Sasha Rose (July 28, 2015-February 15, 2016)
- Georgia Taplin (July 30, 2015-February 28, 2016)
- Bella Thomas (August 31, 2015-February 24, 2016)
Melbourne[]
- Ingrid Torelli (January 23, 2016, March 13, 2016-November 10, 2016)
- Alannah Parfett (February 24, 2016, March 19, 2016-November 11, 2016)
- Dusty Bursill (February 25, 2016, April 1, 2016-November 9, 2016)
- Tiana Mirra (February 27, 2016, March 16, 2016-November 10, 2016)
NOTE: Ingrid, Alannah, Dusty, and Tiana all had their debuts in Sydney.
Brisbane/Perth/Adelaide/Auckland[]
NOTE: The Brisbane Matildas also went to Auckland, New Zealand
The Philippines[]
- Esang De Torres
- Uma Martin
- Felicity Napuli
NOTE: The Philippines production of Matilda the Musical was a licensed production and wasn't produced by the RSC, so it is not often considered an actual production of Matilda the Musical
Malta[]
- Leah Grech
- Michela Caruana
- Michela Deguara
NOTE: The Malta production of Matilda the Musical was a licensed production and wasn't produced by the RSC, so it is not often considered an actual production of Matilda the Musical, It later got postponed in consideration of a new policy established by the government to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. It was then performed later in April 2022.
United Kingdom and Ireland Tour[]
- Annalise Bradbury
- Lara Cohen
- Poppy Jones
- Nicola Turner
- Sophia Ally
- Scarlett Cecil
- Olivia Juno Cleverly
- Freya Scott
- Sophie Woolhouse
- Emma Moore
Korea[]
- Li Ji-Na
- Ahn So-Myeong
- Hwang Ye-Yeong
- Seol Ka-Eun
- Lim Ha-Yun
- Choi Eun-Young
- Ha Shin-Bi
- Jin Yeon-Woo
NOTE: The Korean production will be the first production of Matilda the Musical to be performed in a language other from English.
International Tour[]
- Lilla Fleischman (South Africa, Singapore)
- Kitty Harris (South Africa, Singapore)
- Morgan Santo (South Africa, Singapore)
- Sofia Poston (Singapore, China)
- Zoë Modlinne (Asia)
- Zara Yazbek (Asia)
Japan[]
- Sakura Kamura
- Minori Kumano
- Miran Terada
- Nonoka Mikami
Madrid[]
- Daniela Berezo
- Laura Centella
- Julieta Cruz
- Paula Jerez
- Sofia Jerez
- Irene Gallego
Brazil[]
- Belle Rodrigues
- Luísa Moribe
- Maria Volpe
- Mafê Diniz
Songs[]
Matilda performs in the following songs (Italicized text denotes songs in which she has a solo part, old songs indicate that it is Matilda's solo song)-
- Miracle
- Naughty
- Bruce
- When I Grow Up
- I'm Here
- The Smell of Rebellion
- Quiet
- My House
- When I Grow Up/Naughty Reprise (Curtain Call)