AUDIENCE GUIDE ABOUT THE AUDIENCE GUIDE QUICK SHOW SUMMARY

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1 AUDIENCE GUIDE ABOUT THE AUDIENCE GUIDE This guide is intended to help audiences prepare for and experience Matilda The Musical to the fullest. Those who aren t familiar with Matilda are encouraged to read the Quick Show Summary, Character Profiles, and Lyric Sneak-Peek to get a feel for the story before they arrive. A full plot synopsis (complete with spoilers) is also provided for those who wish to know the entire story before arriving. QUICK SHOW SUMMARY Inspired by the twisted genius of Roald Dahl, the Tony Award-winning Roald Dahl s Matilda The Musical is the captivating masterpiece that revels in the anarchy of childhood, the power of imagination, and the inspiring story of a girl who dreams of a better life. With book by Dennis Kelly and original songs by Tim Minchin, Matilda has won 47 international awards and continues to thrill sold-out audiences of all ages around the world. Holly Reichert as Matilda. Image by Mark Kitaoka. The Wormwood Family. Image by Mark Kitaoka. Matilda is a little girl with astonishing wit, intelligence, and psychokinetic powers. She s unloved by her cruel parents but impresses her schoolteacher, the highly loveable Miss Honey. Over the course of her first term at school, Matilda and Miss Honey have a profound effect on each other s lives, as Miss Honey begins not only to recognize but also appreciate Matilda s extraordinary personality. Matilda s school life isn t completely smooth sailing, however the school s mean headmistress, Miss Trunchbull, hates children and just loves thinking up new punishments for those who don t abide by her rules. But Matilda has courage and cleverness in equal amounts, and could be the school pupils saving grace! Packed with high-energy dance numbers, catchy songs and an unforgettable star turn for a young actress, Matilda is a joyous girl power romp. Children and adults alike will be thrilled and delighted by the story of the special little girl with an extraordinary imagination.

2 CHARACTER PROFILES THE WORMWOOD FAMILY: Matilda (played by Holly Reichert & Nava Ruthfield): A five-year-old girl genius who loves to read. She has a gift for storytelling and, spoiler alert: telekinesis. Mr. Wormwood (played by Chris Ensweiler): Matilda s father, a cheating car salesman. He refuses to recognize that Matilda is a girl and calls her boy throughout the show. Mrs. Wormwood (played by Ann Cornelius): Matilda s loud, self-absorbed mother, an amateur ballroom dancer. Michael Wormwood (played by Maddox Baker): Matilda s teenage brother, whose life revolves around watching television ( telly ). THE ADULTS: Miss. Trunchbull (played by Basil Harris): The cruel headmistress and physical education instructor at Matilda s school. Trunchbull s favorite way to discipline misbehaved children is locking them in the Chokey, a child-sized cupboard in her office lined with nails and sharp objects. Miss. Honey (played by Marissa Ryder): Matilda s caring and compassionate teacher at Crunchem Primary School. Miss Honey is one of the few adults in Matilda s life who recognizes her extraoridinary intellectual abilities. Miss. Phelps (played by Shaunyce Omar): A friendly local librarian who loves to listen to Matilda s stories. The Escapologist & The Acrobat (played by Matthew Posner and Ivanna Wei, respectively): The characters in a story that Matilda tells throughout the show. They are a renowned husband-and-wife duo known for their dangerous stunts. While pregnant, the Acrobat is severely hurt during a stunt and eventually dies from her injuries, but not before giving birth to a baby girl. The Escapologist asks his sister to help raise the child, and when the Escapologist is not around, the sister torments the girl. The Escapologist eventually learns of his sister s actions and vows to take his daughter far away from her, but mysteriously vanishes before he can follow through. Rudolpho (played by Joel Domenico): Mrs. Wormwood s ballroom dancing instructor and partner. Sergei (played by Casey Raiha): A Russian Mafia boss. He seeks revenge after Mr. Wormwood sells him faulty cars. Miracle with the cast of Matilda. Image by Mark Kitaoka. MATILDA S CLASSMATES: Bruce Bogtrotter (played by Thomas Gomes & Jonas Winburn): Bruce is caught stealing a slice of Trunchbull s chocolate cake, and as punishment, is forced to eat an entire cake by himself as his classmates and Miss Honey cheer him on. Lavender (played by Emma Hursh & Eloise Peterson): Matilda s self-proclaimed best friend. She places a newt in Trunchbull s drinking water as a prank. Amanda Thripp (played by Briana Lee & Evangeline OpongParry): Trunchbull punishes Amanda for wearing pigtails to school by hammer-throwing her across the yard. Luckily, Amanda lands safely. Nigel (played by Keagan Estes & Akshay Needamangala): When Trunchbull mistakenly thinks that Nigel played a prank on her, Nigel fears that he will be put in Chokey. Matilda tricks Trunchbull into thinking that Nigel is narcoleptic and couldn t possibly have pranked her because he was sleeping in the playground the whole time. Alice (played by Vaanya Chauhan & Evangeline OpongParry): Matilda s classmate. Eric (played by Keagan Estes & Reidar Geraci): Matilda s classmate. Hortnesia (played by Emma Hursh & Mikayla Sanchez): Matilda s classmate. Tommy (played by Tristan Hagen & Jonas Winburn): Matilda s classmate. The Older Children (played by the adult ensemble): Matilda and her classmates encounter several older students on the playground, who warn about Miss. Trunchbull and her Phys Ed class.

3 SONG LYRICS Matilda The Musical is filled with fast-paced songs with a lot of silly, fun lyrics. The following lyrics are just a sample to give you an idea of the language and style of the songs to help you appreciate the live performance. We also encourage you to listen to recordings of the Broadway produciton, which are available through most music platforms (itunes, Spotify, etc). NAUGHTY (Performed by Matilda) Jack and Jill went up the hill to fetch a pail of water. So they say, their subsequent fall was inevitable. They never stood a chance; they were written that way - Innocent victims of their story. Like Romeo and Juliet, Twas written in the stars before they even met That love and fate (and a touch of stupidity) Would rob them of their hope of living happily. The endings are often a little bit gory. I wonder why they didn t just change their story. We re told we have to do what we re told, but surely Sometimes you have to be a little bit naughty. Just because you find that life s not fair, it Doesn t mean that you just have to grin and bear it. If you always take it on the chin and wear it, Nothing will change. Even if you re little you can do a lot, you Mustn t let a little thing like little stop you. If you sit around and let them get on top, you Might as well be saying you think that it s OK, And that s not right. And if it s not right, you have to put it right. In the slip of a bolt, there s a tiny revolt. The seeds of a war in the creak of a floorboard. A storm can begin with the flap of a wing. The tiniest mite packs the mightiest sting. Every day starts with the tick of a clock. All escapes start with the click of a lock. If you re stuck in your story and want to get out, You don t have to cry; you don t have to shout. Cause if you re little, you can do a lot, you Mustn t let a little thing like little stop you. If you sit around and let them get on top, you Won t change a thing. Just because you find that life s not fair, it Doesn t mean that you just have to grin and bear it. If you always take it on the chin and wear it, You might as well be saying you think that it s OK. And that s not right. And if it s not right, you have to put it right. But nobody else is gonna put it right for me. Nobody but me is gonna change my story. Sometimes you have to be a little bit naughty. Nava Ruthfield as Matilda and Ivanna Wei as the Acrobat. Image by Mark Kitaoka. Basil Harris as Miss. Trunchbull. Image by Mark Kitaoka.

4 SONG LYRICS, CONT. REVOLTING CHILDREN (Performed by Matilda s Classmates) Never again will she get the best of me! Never again will she take away my freedom. And we won t forget the day we fought For the right to be a little bit naughty! Never again will The Chokey door slam! Never again will I be bullied, and Never again will I doubt it when My mummy says I m a miracle! Never again! Never again will we live behind bars! Never again now that we know... We are revolting children... Living in revolting times... We sing revolting songs Using revolting rhymes. We ll be revolting children, Til our revolting s done, And we ll have the Trunchbull vaulting. We re revolting! We will become a screaming horde! Take out your hockey stick, and use it as a sword! Never again will we be ignored! We ll find out where the chalk is stored, And draw rude pictures on the board! It s not insulting; we re revolting! The School Song with the older children. Image by Mark Kitaoka. We can S-P-L how we like! If enough of us are wrong, Wrong is right! Every word N-O-R-T-Y... Cause we re a little bit naughty! You say we oughta stay inside the line... If we disobey at the same time, There is nothing that the Trunchbull can do! She can take her hammer and S-H-U. You didn t think you could push us too far, But there s no going back now, we... R-E-V-O-L-T-I-N (Come on!) We re S-I-N-G U-S-I-N-G... (Yeah...) We ll be R-E-V-O-L-T-I-N-G. (Oh...) It is 2-L-8-4-U. E-R-E-volting! Bruce with the youth cast, with Thomas Gomes as Bruce. Image by Mark Kitaoka. THE SCHOOL SONG (Performed by Matilda s Older Classmates) So you think you re A-ble [able] To survive this mess by B-ing [being] A prince or a princess, you will soon C [see], There s no escaping trage-d [tragedy]. And E-ven [even] If you put in heaps of F-ort [effort], You re just wasting ener-g [energy], Cause your life as you know it is H-ent [ancient] history. I Have suffered in this J-ail [jail]. I ve been trapped inside this K-ge [cage] for ages, This living h-l [hell], But if I try I can rem-m-ber [remember], Back before my life had N-ded [ended], Before my happy days were O-ver [over], Before I first heard the P-ling [pealing] of the bell... Like you I was Q-rious [curious], So innocent I R-sked [asked] a thousand questions, But, unl-s [unless] you want to suffer, Listen up and I will T-ch [teach] you a thing or two. U [you], listen here, my dear, You ll be punished so se-v-rely [severely] if you step out of line, And if you cry it will be W [double, you] should stay out of trouble, And remember to be X-tremely [extremely] careful.

5 Loud with Ann Cornelius as Mrs. Wormwood, Jose Luis Uz as Rudolpho, and Ensemble. Image by Mark Kitaoka. FULL SYNOPSIS Act One An ensemble of children open the show ( Miracle ) as an amateur ballroom dancer, Mrs. Wormwood, gives birth to Matilda. The selfobsessed new mother is more concerned with missing a dance competition than her newborn daughter, and her similarly shallow used-car salesman husband, Mr. Wormwood, rejects the child when he realizes she is a girl. Time passes and a now 5 year-old bibliophilic and extradorinary Matilda must constantly endure the verbal abuse from her unenlightened family, including her older less-than average brother, Michael. Matilda retaliates by adding hydrogen peroxide to her father s hair oil, giving him a brand-new, bright green hairdo ( Naughty ). Finding solace at the local library, Matilda distracts herself by telling Mrs. Phelps, the librarian, a story about a renowned acrobat and escapologist, who yearned for a child but could not have one ( Acrobat Story I ). The following day is Matilda s first day of school ( School Song ). Matilda and her classmates encounter the older children on the playground, who warn them about Miss Trunchbull and her Phys Ed class. Matilda s kind and compassionate teacher, Miss Honey, immediately recognizes Matilda s exceptional intelligence and recommends she be placed in the top class with the older children ( Pathetic ). Unfortunately, the cruel, child-loathing headmistress, Miss Trunchbull, refuses Miss Honey s suggestion and gives her a reminder on the necessity of following the rules ( The Hammer ). Back home, Mr. Wormwood, who just lost a group sale to rich Russians, takes out his failing car sales frustration by destroying one of Matilda s library books. Again, Matilda retaliates by adding glue to his hat ( Naughty Reprise (Superglue) ). Back at school, Matilda discovers the cruel Miss Trunchbull punishes disobedient children by locking them in a small cupboard filled with sharp objects called Chokey ( Chokey Chant ), and also witnesses her swing a girl by her pigtails and throw her across a field. The caring Miss Honey pays a visit to the Wormwood s house to share her recommendation that Matilda be placed in an advanced class. Mrs. Wormwood, busy at rehearsal with her dance partner, Rudolpho, could not care less and mocks both her daughter and Miss. Honey ( Loud ). A forlorn Miss Honey feels powerless to help Matilda ( This Little Girl ). In the library, Matilda continues the story of the acrobat and escapologist for Mrs. Phelps. The acrobat s sister, a former hammer-thrower who enjoys frightening small children, arranged a performance that was cancelled upon news of the acrobat s pregnancy. The hammer-thrower is furious, and contractually binds them to perform or otherwise go to jail. ( Acrobat Story II ). Back at school, a boy in Matilda s class named Bruce Bogtrotter has been caught stealing a slice of Miss Trunchbull s personal cake. As punishment, Bruce is forced to eat the entire cake in front of everyone. The class show unanimous support for him ( Bruce ), and upon finishing Miss Trunchbull drags Bruce away to the Chokey. Act Two Mr. Wormwood sings television s praises while denigrating the need for reading ( Telly ) and Lavender, Matilda s schoolfriend, tells everyone she is going to put a newt in Miss Trunchbull s water jug. The children share their hopes for adulthood ( When I Grow Up ) and Matilda vows to put a stop to Miss Trunchbull s cruelty.

6 FULL SYNOPSIS, CONT. In the library, Matilda continues the story of the acrobat and escapologist for Mrs. Phelps. The forced show goes well until a fatal injury at the very end where the acrobat dies in childbirth and her sister is invited to live with the newborn and the escapologist. The hammer-thrower is secretly detestable to the little girl, unbeknownst to the escapologist ( Acrobat Story III ). An ecstatic Mr. Wormwood returns home, having sold the cars to a group of Russians using dishonest methods - which disappoints Matilda. When she scolds him, he locks her in her bedroom where she finishes the story of the acrobat and escapologist. After years of cruelty from the hammerthrower Aunt, the escapologist father discovers the truth. He vows to always be there for his daughter, and goes out to find the aunt, but is never seen again ( Acrobat Story IV - I m Here ). The following day, Miss Trunchbull puts Miss Honey s students through a rigorous physical education class ( The Smell of Rebellion ). After Miss Trunchbull discovers the newt in her water jug, she begins to punish an innocent student. Matilda discovers she can move things with her mind and tips over the water jug, causing the newt to climb up Miss Trunchbull, scaring her off ( Quiet ). An astounded Miss Honey invites Matilda over for tea, where the two discover they both have less than ideal family lives. Miss Honey tells Matilda about her terrible aunt, who raised her as a child after her parents died. Miss Honey was legally contracted to pay her aunt back for every expense she procured as a child, and now lives in serenely in an old shed ( My House ). Matilda realizes that Miss Honey is the reallife child of the acrobat and the escapologist, and her aunt is Miss Trunchbull. At school, Miss Trunchbull forces Lavender to the Chokey by making up a word she cannot spell during a spelling test. The children rebel by misspelling simple words, believing they can t all be sent to the Chokey. Unknown the students, Miss Trunchbull has built many Chokeys. Matilda uses her newfound powers to move the chalk on the chalkboard, terrifying Miss Trunchbull into believing the ghost of her dead brother is out to get her. The children celebrate her screaming exit and their freedom ( Revolting Children ). At the library Mrs. Phelps and Miss Honey reveal that after Miss Trunchbull ran away, Miss Honey s parents will is discovered. Everything was bequeathed to Miss Honey after all, and she is also made the new headmistress. Matilda has lost her powers, and Miss Honey feels helpless that this special child is being reared in an unloving household. The Wormwoods arrive at the library in an anguished rush, telling Matilda they are fleeing to Spain after the Russian Mafia discovered they we sold broken cars. Miss Honey asks if Matilda can stay with her, but Sergei of the Russian Mafia arrives before a decision is made. Thoroughly impressed by Matilda, Sergei agrees to leave the Wormwoods alone as long as they never have to deal with Mr. Wormwood. ( Priyatna Paznakomitsa / This Little Girl Reprise ). It is agreed that Matilda will now live with Miss Honey. When I Grow Up with the older children. Image by Mark Kitaoka.