How to Watch Matilda the Musical

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Roald Dahl's Matilda, a classic novel about a precocious, neglected child whose intelligence manifests as telekinetic powers, was adapted into a celebrated West End musical back in 2011. With music and lyrics by the Australian comedian Tim Minchin, the show won plaudits for breathing new life into the familiar story while staying completely true to the spirit of the original. And now, anybody who didn't get to see the show live will finally get the chance to experience this new incarnation, because Matilda the Musical has been adapted into a movie.

Irish actress Alisha Weir stars as Matilda, while Emma Thompson plays the infamous villain Miss Trunchbull, and Lashana Lynch plays Miss Honey, Matilda's teacher and mentor. The show is relatively faithful to Dahl's novel, following Matilda as she struggles with feeling misunderstood and left out both at home and at school. Her only escape is books—at least, until she starts developing mysterious psychic powers, which prove to be life-changing not only for her, but for those around her.

Even if you were able to see the stage show in the West End or on Broadway, there'll be some surprises in store here, because Minchin has reportedly written some entirely new songs for the screen musical.

“I think people might not realize how different it is as a genre,” Minchin said in an interview with Virgin Radio. “There's wonderful things about theatre, and the main one is your imagination is doing so much of the work. You're not seeing a library, you're seeing some books, and your brain goes ‘library’. All the emotion comes from the actors’ ability to project their emotion out into the room. Whereas in a film, not only do you get a library... but you're in Lashana Lynch's eyes when she sings ‘My House’ and it's devastating. It's so moving. It's kind of shockingly moving.”

The film has been received well by critics—The Guardian's Wendy Ide likened it to the Paddington movies, and praise doesn't get much higher than that. So if you're dying to know how to watch, read on.

Matilda the Musical is already out in cinemas in the UK, and will be released in US theaters on December 9, 2022. If you'd prefer to watch from home, the movie will be streaming on Netflix beginning on December 25, making it ideal Christmas Day family viewing.

In the meantime, the original 1996 movie starring Mara Wilson is also available to stream on Netflix, and it's just as delightful as you remember.

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