Matilda The Musical Confirmed For Highly Anticipated Auckland Season

The Royal Shakespeare Company, Louise Withers, Michael Coppel and Michael Watt today announced that the critically-acclaimed Australian Production of Matilda The Musical will premiere at The Civic in Auckland this August for a strictly limited season. Dates and ticketing details will be announced soon.
 
The winner of over 70 international awards, including 15 for Best Musical, this RSC production of Matilda The Musical is currently playing to sell-out houses across Australia with standing ovations at every performance.
 
Catherine Mallyon, RSC Executive Director, said: “We are thrilled to bring our production of Matilda The Musical to New Zealand and we hope audiences here will take Matilda to their hearts, as they have done in Stratford-upon-Avon, London, the United States of America, Canada and Australia.  We loved being here in 2007 with Trevor Nunn’s productions of King Lear and The Seagull, with Ian McKellen, and a return visit is long overdue.”
 
The Australian Production of Matilda The Musical is the most awarded musical in Australian theatrical history having scooped a record-breaking 13 Helpmann Awards – winning every possible musical category - and has just been nominated in all possible categories of Melbourne’s “peer recognized” 2017 Green Room Awards.
 
The Daily Review described the production as “Nothing Short of a Miracle”. The Australian said the show “Makes You Want to Punch the Air with Delight.” and Time Out Sydney pronounced the show “a Freaking Masterpiece”.
 
Auckland Tourism, Events and Economic Development (ATEED) Head of Major Events Charmaine Ngarimu says “World-class musicals like Matilda have the ability to delight and entertain not only Aucklanders, but also the thousands of visitors from around New Zealand which they attract. We are proud to have this modern musical exclusively here in Auckland after its sell-out Australian tour, adding to the stellar line-up of events taking place in Auckland this year, including Adele in concert, the World Masters Games 2017 and DHL Lions Series 2017.”
 

Robbie Macrae, Director of Auckland Live said “We are excited to welcome Matilda The Musical, featuring one of the world’s best-loved little geniuses to The Civic for its exclusive New Zealand season. This multi-award winning international musical, which has already toured three continents, will be an extraordinary experience made even more special by being performed at The Civic - Auckland’s much-loved landmark and New Zealand’s home of international musicals.”
 
Matilda The Musical is based on the beloved novel by best-selling author Roald Dahl (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Fantastic Mr. Fox). It is the story of an extraordinary girl who armed with a vivid imagination and a sharp mind, dares to take a stand and change her own destiny.
 
Matilda The Musical is directed by Tony Award® winner Matthew Warchus (God of Carnage), who helms this production with a book by Tony Award®-winning playwright Dennis Kelly and music and lyrics by Australian Tim Minchin.
 
The production has sets and costumes by Tony Award® winner Rob Howell, with choreography by Tony Award® winner Peter Darling (Billy Elliot), orchestrations, additional music and musical supervision by Christopher Nightingale, lighting by Tony Award® winner Hugh Vanstone, and sound by Simon Baker.

Matilda The Musical was commissioned by the Royal Shakespeare Company and played to sold-out audiences at the Courtyard Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon for twelve weeks from November 2010 to January 2011. It transferred to London’s West End on Tuesday 25 October 2011 where it opened to rave reviews.
 
The New York production of Matilda The Musical opened on 11 April 2013 at Broadway’s Shubert Theatre to rapturous reviews and was celebrated on 10 “Top Ten” lists for 2013, including TIME Magazine’s #1 Show of the Year.
 
Matilda The Musical’s award-wining success includes sweeping the board at the 2012 Laurence Olivier Awards in London with a record-breaking seven awards, and winning four Tony Awards® and a Tony Honor for Excellence in the Theater for each of the four girls sharing the title role on Broadway in 2013.
 
Matilda The Musical is produced in Australia by the Royal Shakespeare Company, Louise Withers, Michael Coppel & Michael Watt with André Ptaszynski and Denise Wood as Executive Producers.

This production was originally developed with the support of the RSC Literary Department.

The RSC Literary Department is generously supported by THE DRUE HEINZ TRUST.

The RSC Ensemble is generously supported by THE GATSBY CHARITABLE FOUNDATION and THE KOVNER FOUNDATION.



Feature image: Revolting QLD Pic. Credit: James Morgan