Legit Review: ‘Matilda’
10 / 10
No one saw it coming. A debuting musical theater team adapting a Roald Dahl children's story about an unhappy girl whose life is saved by the magic of books? True, helmer Matthew Warchus ('God of Carnage') was aboard, but his tuner credits include 'Lord of the Rings' and 'Ghost.' Yet 'Matilda' turns out to be an explosion of joy, the most exhilarating and flat-out best musical since 'Billy Elliot.'...'Matilda' comes with a ready-made audience via generations who have feasted upon the original story. But this transcends its source. As with 'Billy Elliot,' having the narrative led by the title character and numerous other children necessitates expensive multiple casts. But 'Matilda' is so riotously enjoyable that if the figures can be made to work, its future could be limitless.
