Matilda will be magical in Brno
Municipal theater Brno enters the new year with the Czech premiere of the globally successful family musical Matilda according to the famous book Roald Dahl. The premiere will take place on the Music Stage of the theater January 21, 2023.
English novelist Roald Dahl published a star book in 1988, which, alongside his other children’s books, such as Carl and the Chocolate Factory and Jakub and the Giant Peach, names very simply – Matilda. This little girl was unlucky. She was born into a bad family that didn’t understand her exceptional talent and talent. The story of the book describes the battle of stupidity with intelligence and the war of cruelty with kindness. The whole world around Matilda seems to have gone crazy, the girl can’t help but wonder what obstacles she encounters. Similar to Dahl’s other books, here, too, children’s sincerity, purity and cordiality prevail over adult bloatedness and narrow-mindedness.
The authors managed to transfer the same themes as in the book to the stage in the musical version. It is a simple but at the same time brilliantly entertaining scenario that contains a strong message and is therefore intended for both children and adults. Matilda has become a hit musical that has charmed British audiences since 2009 and has gradually spread its voice around the world. The only confirmation of this fact is the film, which premiered in our country at the end of 2022.
Royal Shakespeare Society but already in 2006 managed to obtain the rights to a musical version from Dahl’s heirs Matilda. The screenplay was written by Dennis Kelly. Two years later, the producers turned to Tim Minchin for the musical arrangement. This Australian singer-songwriter and comedian is a lifelong fan of Roald Dahl. The risk of approaching a Dahl fan instead of a renowned composer finally paid off for the producers, and on December 9, 2010 she had Matilda gala premiere at the RSC’s permanent headquarters in Stratford upon Avon and judging by the enthusiastic reactions it seemed that Matilda he has enough to conquer London. which also happened London premiere in November 2011 met with enthusiastic audience and critical response and was nominated in all ten categories Laurence Olivier Award, in which she could be nominated. It then won seven, which was the most awards for one production in the entire thirty-six-year history of the Olivier Awards.
It was already being prepared two months after the announced premiere transfer of the production to Broadway. The production there cost 16 million dollars, but the producers paid off handsomely – it was played for almost four years. She won five Tony Awards and had a symbolic denier on New Year’s Day 2017 after exactly 1,555 reruns. The London version then “runs” except for the covid break between March 2020 and September 2021 and she conquered the magical limit of 4,000 repetitions.
Brno premiere Matilda will take place in translation and direction Peter Gazdík, who prepared for this premiere with his team long in advance. Auditions for the role were held in December 2021, and for the following six months, the children who succeeded attended workshops twice a week to master this challenging project. From the original hundred children, the best 26 were selected, whom the audience will be able to meet on the stage of the Brno City Theatre, including the trio of female actors in the title role – Anna Berger, Marie Juráčková AND Karolina Kabel.
They will be the conductors of the production Dan Kalousek AND Ema Mikeškováto create original and unmistakable choreographies Carli Rebecca Jeffersonthe scene will come out of the workshop Peter Hloušek and designs the costumes Eliška Lupačová Ondráčková.
I will introduce myself in other roles Jiří Mach or Milan German in the role of the cruel Principal Trunchbull, Kristýna Daňhelová or Dagmar Křížová appears as the kind Miss Honey, Matilda’s unsympathetic parents act Svetlana Janotová or Ivana Vaňková AND Lukáš Janota or Jiří Ressler and in the role of the understanding librarian, Phelps takes turns Alena Antalová or Johana Gazdíková or Eva Jedličková.
Photo: Tino Kratochvil, design: Petr Hloušek