Remember how back in March everyone was raving about The Book of Mormon? It was called one of the best shows in ages. The performances, staging, costumes, sets, lighting, book, score, direction--everything--was praised. What seemed like hyperbole was thrown out on a daily basis. The important thing to realize was that the show was good enough to warrant that praise. London doesn't have its own production of The Book of Mormon yet. What they do have is another new show that received the same caliber of reviews as the Parker/Stone/Lopez show. The name is Matilda and it seems poised to take the international theater world by storm.
Matilda is based on the children's novel by Roald Dahl. It started off in a small theater for a limited run and just opened last week on a good-sized West End stage. The new show features a book by Dennis Kelly and a score by Tim Minchin. Minchin is a touring comedy musician, which seems like the right choice to bring this story to life. For all the horrible things that happen because of neglectful parents and the oppressive Trunchbull, Matilda is a comedy. Kelly, too, is a good match because of his history of writing plays with strong young characters and notes of fantasy.
Rumor has it that the show is going to try and transfer to Broadway as soon as possible. The only thing standing in its way is the transfer of Ghost: The Musical, which is being brought to America by the same production company. I can't see them putting two competing shows against each other in the same awards season. A safer bet would be Winter 2012/Spring 2013 if they can get all the details in order.
The details? Matilda, A Musical does a big thing that stands out. Three groups of eight children trade off on all the major roles in the show. Billy Elliott cast three boys in the lead because of the level of dancing and singing required in the role. What did Kelly and Minchin write that requires most of the children's ensemble to play 1/3 of the performances each? Are they going to be able to afford all the contractually required elements to get Equity to agree to that many contracts? It's this kind of detail that can make or break a Broadway transfer.
This isn't even getting into the challenges of transferring British actors to an American production. If they aren't already members of Equity, the producers have to petition to transfer a show with the original leads. The only way to win that transfer is to prove that the British non-Equity actor is essential to the production. Otherwise, Equity can require that the role be recast with an Equity actor.
When you have a show with rave reviews like this (including quite a few notices for the cast members), it seems hard to believe that they would have trouble meeting the Equity standards. It's just something that goes off in the back of my head on any West End transfer. I think we still don't know the cast of Ghost and that starts previews in a few months.
I think Matilda is a safe bet to be coming to Broadway. It's based on a property that's known in America and has proven itself with critics and audiences. It's not like we're suffering for another good show at the moment. It's just nice to see an adaptation not rest on its source material.
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