Royal Shakespeare Company’s award-winning Matilda The Musical, based on Roald Dahl’s book, will celebrate its 15th anniversary with a second major tour of the U.K. and Ireland beginning in fall 2025.
The forthcoming tour will launch October 6, 2025, at Leicester's Curve, subsequently playing Bradford, Liverpool, Plymouth, Sunderland, Edinburgh, and Manchester, with additional cities to be announced.
Written by Dennis Kelly, with music and lyrics by Tim Minchin and developed and directed by Matthew Warchus, the production is designed by Rob Howell, with choreography by Peter Darling, orchestrations, additional music, and musical supervision by Christopher Nightingale, lighting by Hugh Vanstone, sound by Simon Baker, and special effects and illusions by Paul Kieve.
Composer and lyricist Minchin said in a statement, “When we first started working on the show, our aim was to make a lovely little jewel of a musical for the RSC’s Courtyard Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon. We never imagined that all these years later it would still be running in the West End, have been made into a film, and is now about to embark on its second tour of the U.K. and Ireland. I’m deeply proud of Matilda The Musical, and every single talented person who continues to work on it with passion and enthusiasm."
Matilda tells the story of a five year-old girl whose love of reading and active imagination puts her at odds with her family and the diabolical school headmistress, Miss Trunchbull. Matilda discovers she has secret powers and uses them, with help from her beloved teacher Miss Honey, to restore justice to her world.
The musical received its world premiere in 2009 from the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford-upon-Avon, transferring to London's West End in 2011 and winning seven Olivier Awards (including Best New Musical) in 2012. The production transferred to Broadway in 2013, winning Tony Awards for Best Book, Featured Actor (Gabriel Ebert), Lighting Design (Hugh Vanstone), and Scenic Design (Rob Howell). The four young actors who alternated in the title role (Sophia Gennusa, Oona Laurence, Bailey Ryon, and Milly Shapiro) were also honored with a Tony Honor for Excellence in the Theatre. The Broadway production closed in 2017 after playing 1,555 performances, but the West End production continues at the Cambridge.
A film adaptation made by the core creative team received its world premiere at the London Film Festival in October 2022 and is available on Netflix.
Casting and further creative team members for the new tour will be announced at a later date.
Visit MatildatheMusical.com.
