The Royal Shakespeare Company has announced the child casting for the first five venues of the Matilda The Musical 2018/19 UK and Ireland Tour. The title role will be shared by Annalise Bradbury, Lara Cohen, Poppy Jones and Nicola Turner. The West End production will continue to play at the Cambridge Theatre, where it is now in its seventh year and is booking until 10 February 2019.
Winner of over 85 international awards, including 16 for Best Musical, Matilda The Musical will open at Curve (5 – 24 March) and will also visit Dublin Bord Gáis Energy Theatre (4 – 28 April), Sunderland Empire (8 May – 2 June), Milton Keynes Theatre (5 June – 30 June), Birmingham Hippodrome (3 July – 8 September), Manchester Palace (18 September – 24 November) and Cardiff Wales Millennium Centre (4 December – 12 January 2019). Further dates and venues are to be announced in due course.
The previously announced adult cast for the UK and Ireland Tour will see Craige Els reprise the role of Miss Trunchbull, having played her in the West End for three years between 2014 and 2017. He will be joined by Carly Thoms as Miss Honey, and Sebastien Torkia and Rebecca Thornhill as Mr and Mrs Wormwood.
The other young performers announced today join the UK and Ireland Tour in the three teams who play the roles of Bruce, Lavender, Amanda and the rest of the pupils at Crunchem Hall and are as follows: Louella Asante-Owusu, Isobelle Chalmers, Shaquahn Crowe, Kiana Dumbuya, Madeline Gilby, Sheldon Golding, Jobe Hart, Raphael Higgins-Humes, Dylan Hughes, Sam Lovelock, Tayah Marshall Brewster, Jaden Meek, Alfie Murray, Nicholas Seal, Daisy Sequerra, Elliot Stiff, Lyla Toplass, George Varley, Scarlett Weegram, Maisy-May Woods-Smeeth, Harrison Wilding, and Sophie Young.
The full adult cast includes Joe Atkinson, Nina Bell, Peter Bindloss, Oliver Bingham, Emily Bull, Matthew Caputo, Samara Casteallo, Craige Els, Matt Gillett, Michelle Chantelle Hopewell, Sam Lathwood, Steffan Lloyd-Evans, Charlie Martin, Anu Ogunmefun, Carly Thoms, Rebecca Thornhill, Sebastien Torkia, Taylor Walker, Adam Vaughan, and Dawn Williams.
The production will be accompanied by Change My Story, a new education programme inspired by Matilda The Musical which will engage young people in towns and cities across the UK and Ireland. With a travelling library of stories led by the musical’s librarian Mrs Phelps and whole school takeovers, the RSC aims to reach over 15,000 children, in collaboration with touring theatre partners. Further details can be found at http://uk.matildathemusical.com/tour/schools/matilda-school-resources/.
Inspired by the incomparable Roald Dahl’s beloved book, Matilda The Musical was commissioned by the Royal Shakespeare Company and premiered at the RSC’s The Courtyard Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon in November 2010, before transferring to London’s West End in October 2011, where it opened to rave reviews.
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