Real Musical Theater Coach Reacts to *MATILDA THE MUSICAL* | First Time Watching | Matilda Reaction 

Hey Angels! We were thinking of watching SpongeBob The Musical all together next, what do you think? 🤗 Also, Dr. Peter recently rewatched this Matilda movie, and this time, since he knew that her superpowers were going to show up, he found the subtle ways that they hinted at them throughout the movie (through her eyes mostly) as smart, creative choices.

48:58 in the original book, Matilda develops telekinesis in the last third of the book, so that's canon. Doing Matilda without telekinesis is like doing Carrie without telekinesis.

I love it when people don’t realize what the school song is until the letters start appearing and then they react 😂 it really is so freaking clever

8:30 it was actually her doing the cartwheels, alisha confirmed it in an interview! she also did the walking on her hands on the roof!

I absolutely love this film! I'm surprised you don't know the original book or Americanised film, but I'm glad you knew it was based on a musical. A lot of people don't like it because they think it's a remake of the first film adaptation, but as a remake of a musical it holds up so well. It's an incredible film, I'm glad you enjoyed it!

It's an adaptation of the book and Matilda does have psychoactive abilities in the story. Removing it changes the original story. Presumably you don't personally like the idea for some reason. Tim Minchin is an amazing songwriter and, most importantly for this a sarcastic comedian. The other musical he has written music and lyrics for is Groundhog Day that is being produced as a movie now.

I think Bruce is capable of eating the whole cake without stomach consequences because of Matilda's power. That's why she is staring at him with her pupils dilated in the beginning of Bruce's song. BTW I love when she whispers "Whatever you do just don't give in. Don't let her win!"

The original theater production used the reprise of the “when I grow up” as the closing scene. But without a closing curtain and final bow from the cast, Tim Minchin wrote the final number of “Holding my Hand” specifically for the movie. There were a few songs dropped from the movie, but Tim did not want the songs to change because anyone that has seen the play would already know the songs. You should do side by side of the movie vs the original play of the music along. The play was 2.5hrs with like an hour cut for the movie.

Thank you so much for this. I played the escapologist in a production of this show. While I wasn’t stoked about the casting to begin with I really connected with the role and the second act of the show really sent me to a place I never thought I’d be. Simply beautiful.

One of the things from the book that hasn't made it to either film adaptation is that Matilda's telekinesis actually goes away once she's safe living with Ms. Honey and is placed into a class where she's challenged at a level appropriate to her intelligence. So it's sort of functioning as an outward symbol of both her need to defend herself against the abuse she's going through and the need to apply her intelligence to something when she's not in an adequately stimulating environment.

I cried the when I first watched this adaptation. Especially when Miss Honey sings her song. Thought it wouldn't get to me watching you two react to it, but guess what? I cried again. This movie is brilliant in so many ways.

I was crying so hard just like you were when I heard Lashana's "My House," it was so beautiful.

Love the reaction! The magic was a part of the original story and was necessary to beat the villain cause clearly her standing up to the bully would not have chased her off 🙂

"That is one of the best songs I've ever heard in my entire life", This was exactly my reaction when i heard this song for the first time. This show is a masterpiece

You're so on point on the power of storytelling esp. In processing trauma! That's exactly what the writer and composer want to get at when writing this musical because Roald Dahl himself used his stories to process his less than ideal childhood

Excellent adaptation of a fabulous musical. On stage the Trunchbull is played by a man. The film has cut some of the songs and characters so it's well worth seeing the stage version, but this is still an amazing adaptation. And she does spin a child around by her pigtails on stage - and launch her into the ceiling. And the chocolate cake scene is fantastic!!

12:20 that was my exact reaction when i first heard this song in the West End Musical, i ADORE how clever this song is 😍😍😍 I'm so glad they did it justice in the movie musical

I see why in this production the telekinesis may seem a little odd. In the book she doesn’t really discover it until very late in the story, like here, but I think there is a stronger implication that she’s been unconsciously using it all along, like when Trunchbull throws the little girl with the pigtails… no one is really sure how she made it without getting hurt. I think someone comments that she seemed to fly and then make a very soft landing. No one is really sure how Bruce manages to eat the whole cake. There’re other hints. They don’t translate as well in the musical. In the older movie they just introduce the plot point earlier and lean into it.

I cried at "When I grow up" too. It really reminded me of what it was like to be a kid.

I do not know if someone mentioned it before but the Trunchbull is usually played as a male.

Actually the cartwheels were here and another fun fact the handstand walk on the roof was also her!❤

The whole Broadway soundtrack is perfect.

14:48 ‘asked’ is ‘R’. It’s in the lyrics, “like you I was CURious so innocent I ASKED a thousand questions”. ‘G’ is in “ if you put in heaps of EFFort you’re just wasting enerGY.” ‘W’ is in “if you step out of line and if you cry it will be DOUBLE, YOU should stay out of trouble.”

The lyrics & music and script are exactly the same to the stage play, great lyrics you have our Australian Comedian, Producer, Songwriter Tim Minchin to thank for this brilliant Musical (He also wrote Beetlejuice the musical)

The magic in the book shows just like in the musical ( in the '90 movie they gave clues for it since the start). In both the movie and the book we fond out the miss honey and miss trunchbull connection, but only in the musical there is matilda's story in it).

The When I grow up song got me crying as well as still holding your hand lol I knew matilda from growing up watching the 90's version. I didn't think I would love the musical more.

Dude, the whole reason musicals (even in movies sometimes) are to get you to know the music. Even some of the DIFFERENT songs are reprises. By the way, listen to Tim Minchin’s “Not Perfect” and it sounds just like “My House”. Tim Minchin is the brains and magic behind the musical. He literally makes the story better. Choreography as well.

The R in the school song. “So innocent I asked a thousand questions.” The word “asked” sounds like the letter R in England

It's the writer for Willy Wanka. Fantasy is his style. It's in the book, the play and the movie that she's brilliant and has powers.

I played Matilda in our school play at my old school and on the last performance we used a real cake for the cake scene and when it was brought onto the stage it surprised us all and we all got a piece of it at the end

Great reaction - it was funny though that you didn't know that in the original Roald Dahl book Matilda has telekinetic powers. It's what the book is all about! She also has them in the 1990s movie. I agree though that it comes in too late in the movie. This movie is based on the stage musical which Tim Minchin wrote the music for - so all the songs are from the stage production, which a couple of new ones added.

I LOVE Matilda. I saw it live at a local theatre, and I have listened to the official stage soundtrack ever since. But I have legit never caught the Zed thing, so thanks for opening up a whole new appreciation for a song I already LOVE. 🤣

I'm glad you guys enjoyed it! I do wish you would pause during songs when you have comments though as there was a lot you missed during those moments, I hope you guys ended up rewatching the songs to catch the things you missed :)

I was already a fan of the musical just from the listening to the West End soundtrack but hadn't managed to see it live yet. I love Alphabet Song/Bruce/Revolting Children/The Smell of Rebellion from listening but my biggest surprise from the film adaptation was Naughty. That was a song I generally skipped but I genuinely can't watch her sing it without crying! When she blows on her fists and does a Superhero stance. Floods of tears! And the lyrics! 'In the slip of a bolt, there's a tiny revolt. The seed of a war in a creak of a floorboard' - so wonderful.

Your enthusiasm was DELIGHTFUL

I never "got" musicals but this film is soooo good I felt like i need to see it in theatres

I thought at least one of you had watched the 90's movie. She's always had powers 😂

Out of all Matilda The Musical reaction videos,, I love your reactions the most!!

Y'all should check out clips from the original stage show. They made some changes and cut a bunch of songs. But it's worth a watch or listen.

Tim Minchin is an absolute musical and comedic god (he wrote all the music in this).

This is an adaptation of a book by Roald Dahl, who wrote the original book in 1988. And, the story loosely follows the book, and there is some telekinesis in the book. So it wasn't brought into the movie haphazardly. Also, the original movie (not the musical) with Danny Devito and Rhea Pearlman and Mara Wilson also had telekinesis.

YESSSSSSSS This is the reaction I was looking for when it comes to the School Song. SO RELATABLE UGHHH THANK YOU

the R was when they said "asked a thousand questions", they pronounced it like aRsked lol

I'm at the bit where you're talking about Emma's singing. I think she does well in the role but I agree about her singing - it's serviceable. I'm fine with it but I would love to see you react to (or at least watch) Bertie Carvel's rendition of The Smell Of Rebellion (there's a video of him recording it for the West End soundtrack) and his voice is... FANTASTIC. I should mention, in the stage musical, Trunchbull is traditionally played by a man. I believe Ian McKellen was originally chosen to play her (I'm glad he didn't because I don't feel like he has the voice either) but there was backlash from people presumably outside the UK who don't understand the cultural background. Everybody is absolutely free to have their own opinions but I do feel that men playing women is a very common, traditional thing in the UK. There is kiiind of a correlation with drag but that came later. In Shakespearean times when women weren't allowed to act, men would play the female roles. Even today, in boarding schools up and down the country, boys play both the female and male roles (and vice versa) - I remember seeing Eddie Redmayne (who went to an all boys school) discuss playing Juliet at school. And most relevant I feel, is the tradition of pantomime in the UK. It's not to do with miming - it's a traditional (since @17th century) Christmas time theatre performance of mostly fairytales (like Puss In Boots, Cinderella, Peter Pan etc) for children and there's always a "pantomime dame" (who is played by a man) and the lead is most often a woman playing a boy like Peter Pan. In December/January, you'll find pantomimes in every town and city across the country. They're generally pretty slapstick and have traditional jokes/audience participation associated with them e.g a villain will ALWAYS, at some point, be sneaking up behind the protagonist and it's up to the children in the audience to shout '[it's/she's/he's] BEHIND YOU!!!!" together. Shout that phrase at anyone in the UK and they will 100% know what you're referencing. We all grew up on it/take our kids to them. Ian McKellen is actually currently touring the UK playing Mother Goose right now! Men, gay or straight, play pantomime dames. If you watch Ru Paul's Drag Race you might be familiar with Cheryl Hole, Davina De Campo, Kitty Scott-Claus and Choriza May - they have all starred in pantos in recent years. The feminist film-fan in me is happy that Emma got to play a good role, since fun roles are harder to come by for actresses of a certain age... but I absolutely would have been happy if we'd got a guy playing Trunchbull too! Apologies for the historical tangent - hope you find it interesting!

Loved this reaction video. But... I think Dr Disney may have erred by viewing this as a "grown up." This was a modern fairy tale. Think about Cinderella, Rapunzel, Hansel & Gretel... Gruesome as hell and full of evil adults. What is triggering to an adult in this film is so exaggerated that I think kids can feel the emotion vicariously and "safely." Like Matilda's stories, this musical might help kids who feel unloved or mistreated process those emotions and feel represented and, hopefully, more optimistic about the ability to control their own "story" - but at a safe distance.. (I also think her telekinetic powers are just another aspect of her super brain.) Not that I've thought about it much...

Rewatch the film. Her whole thing is telekinesis

Dr. Disney you have gained a new follower in me. I love you And your personality. You are amazing. Please keep smiling, its beautiful

That song at the end was added for the movie, it’s not in the stage musical. Those ‘added to try to get an Oscar nom’ songs are virtually always terrible. There are worse ones than this imo (example the new song in Les Miserables).

10 seconds later: 'You know what I'm thinking about?' 'What?' 'The A - Z song.' Me: 1. You mean 'The School Song'. 2. Me and my brother still dying by the fact he says that every 10 seconds!

'This is a core memory.' 1 second later: Totally goes to a whole dfifferent movie! Me and my brother are dying over here!

Matilda is Carrie lite. She always had telekinesis

No ones gonna talk about how cute the babies looked in the start?

I have weird mixed feelings with both the stage musical and this movie version... Maybe to a lesser extent with the previous movie version too, but to a lesser degree... I somewhat love them all, but I also have issues with them lol. Sorry if I ramble on a bit. Weirdly, while I think the stage version is the most faithful to the book overall, which I like, the movie version of the musical is possibly the least faithful adaptation of the book, despite arguably being a good adaptation of the stage musical... Although, the way they fix the storytelling/pacing issues I have with the stage musical is not really the way I wanted them to do it lol. They kept the parts about the escapologist, which are an interesting way to cover Miss Honey's backstory, but I feel take too much away from the main story, then removed the brother and lessened the role of the parents, which I think add more to the dynamics of Matilda's home life and add some fun comic relief... The Trunchbull is a great villain, but I think this version maybe has her take up slightly too much of the time and makes things a little samey... One thing I wasn't the biggest fan of in both of the film versions, which I half agree with you on (and I don't think is in the stage musical as badly), is the overplaying of Matilda's powers (although it is still fun in the movies)... They are a very important part in the book, but they are pretty subtle in comparison, which means that Matilda still has to use her brains to defeat the Trunchbull, aided by the Trunchbull's superstitious nature... She can't throw the cup, merely tip it over... Can't lift much more than a cigar or piece of chalk... She doesn't throw Trunchbull out herself, she just freaks her out with the message from "the ghost of Miss Honey's father", which leads to the other students seeing an opportunity to run her out of the school. In the book, Matilda also loses these powers once she starts being challenged in regards to study, which I like, because it's like restoring balance and also means that Matilda can have something of a normal life afterwards, which I think is generally what she wanted all along. I kinda see what was said about the music, although I'm not sure it's entirely fair... They may not all stick immediately in terms of melody, but they do stick in my head... The emotional weight of them is still impactful and I find the way the lyrics convey each message has unlocked certain feelings in me that I never knew how to fully express before, even if they were used as a metaphor for something else... Whatever issues I have with the musical, the songs are either strikingly emotional and/or just super fun, for the most part... In some ways, I think being less melodic or complex helps in that... But at the same time, it is probably an aspect in which the songs are a little weak... It depends what you are looking for though, obviously.

42:35 I think the powers were all of her stress and frustration getting too much so instead of it going in her head she forces it out of her eyes like a volcano

the shriek in "phi-ZED" was literally me lmfao

i am guessing she's not actually allowed to wear that hat she's just a trouble maker and doesn't care

11:08 I was rolling on the floor 😂😂

13:16 proper reaction

I aM MaTiLdA!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A reação dele na canção do alfabeto é maravilhosa KKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK

I've seen Matilda the musical 2 times now 3!

Pretty sure they had "I" sound like "R" during the School Song.

Chelsea Boyce was an incredible Matilda! She grew up on Roald Dahl books and said her favorites were The BFG, James and the Giant Peach, Matilda, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. She was so cute! Especially when she sang Naughty! I got chills! She was 13 when she did this!

I love your videos

School song ment for a British accent so R is asked

So welcome to Tim minchin's lyrics.

ItS oKaY

It's such an odd thing for me to hear someone say "Matilda should not have powers" when thats pretty much one of her core characteristics alongside with her intelligence (like people already answered, these are intertwined). It would be like saying "Lord of the Rings without the One Ring"! Could be because I grew up with both the book and the 90s movie. I think it's also worth saying that Roald Dahl is all about huge exhagerations in all of his stories, Matilda's is THE story about abusive homes and neglected children, and I think it only works the way it works because of the exhagerations - like a principal literally throwing a girl by her braids, that's also in the book. The "logic" here goes like that, if Trunchbull can throw kids through the window and shake them by the ankles (also in the book, but not shown in the musical) without massive repercussions, Matilda having powers to actually be able to fight back against her isnt that farfetched! The excuse in the book to why Trunchbull never faces consequences is that "even teachers are afraid of her" - which to me is a big symbolism on how adults can be very complicent on children abuse, from not interviening when they see kids bullying each other, to looking away when they see an adult abusing a kid because "its not their business"; or like Miss Honey, they are adults that were abused as kids, and they cant interfere either because they freeze like her, or because they might even agree with the abuse cause "I went through that as a child and I turned out fine!!!", which is both bullshit and depressing as hell. When you look at how all the absurdities and magic in Matilda plays out as metaphors for the real world, things makes much more sense! On a different note, loved the react - I always cry at the same parts, the musical (stage and movie, they are pretty similar) did a wonderful job with the adaptation. And this is definitely the darkest one of all versions, and the 90s movie was very dark already. Re-watching it as an adult, I realize how a lot of it was literally filmed like a horror movie, specially Trunchbull scenes, which is SO interesting! The Musical added a lot more to Miss Honey too, to her backstory and how much the abuse inflicted to her by the Trunch still affects her so much as an adult, and it breaks my heart everytime. The musical is a lot more "dramatic in an emotional way", with all the very sad, introspective songs (some of my faves!).

The telekinesis makes definitely sense because the whole reason that the Trunchball was defeated is that is because Matilda made her believe that Magnus (Miss Honey's father) came back from the dead to get revenge...that frightened Trunchball. It's also explained that Matilda got powers because her brilliant mind wasn't challenged enough... So her smarts manifested in telekinesis. In the book we also learn that Matilda lost her powers once she was challenged enough

Matilda without super powers is like Wonka without a Chocolate Factory. Its kind of her thing.

Matilda having powers is a symbol of children's vulnerability for me. It's like when you're a child, you imagine yourself to have superpowers because you feel like only then, you'll be able to fight off the big adult abusers or bullies. However, in real life, they don’t have those superpowers to fight back. It's a very sad thought.

13:00 The "R" in the song was the word "asked", but the British dictation of that word is pronounced as "arsked".

The whole book , 90’s movie and of course, the musical is about her having powers. That’s like the main story.

In The School Song (the one with the alphabet), R was "So innocent I Rsked (asked) a thousand questions" which, yeah, is kinda weird but considering that H is literally "Hcient (Ancient) History," I'll give it a pass. Also, W was "and if you cry it will be W (double You) should stay out of trouble." Also also, in Bruce (song where Bruce eats the cake), here's a fun detail you might have missed: the kids only dance when Trunchbull is turning her back on them, excluding that whole jazz fantasy of course. Also also also, her powers are a very iconic part to the story. Without them, Trunchbull wouldn't have been terrified enough to leave the school and the town. Not to mention, in the musical version (both onstage and the movie), it's heavily implied that she has some sort of telepathy because of the story with the escapologist and the acrobat. And her powers are explained by her having 'loads of brains, they shoot out through [her] eyes,' which, yes, is kinda weird but Roald Dahl's stories did always have a bit of a nonsensical element to them. Overall, how much you like the powers really depends on how much you know about the original story and Roald Dahl.

I'm curious how you guys would react to the 90s movie. It's a much different adaptation and very Americanised. She is much younger in the 90s film because Matilda is 5 years old in the book and in the musical. I think she's supposed to be 5 here too, but the actress who plays Matilda in this movie is 11, so I'm not 100% certain. Also, her powers are much more prominent in the 90s movie. Matilda's powers are foreshadowed in this movie with the moving doors and crushed garbage bin. But they don't play a massive role in the original book. Her powers come from her brain not being challenged, and she loses them in the end after she is challenged. In the novel and stage musical, Matilda wrote that message with the chalk, and Trunchbull ran away. That’s not climactic enough for a cinema-going audience. If it weren’t for her powers, the Trunchbull wouldn’t have been so frightened to leave the school and town permanently. Her powers are iconic and integral to the story. All of Roald Dahl's books lack a climax, and he structured them purposefully. So when the novel was adapted for other media, they added a climax to satisfy a moviegoing audience. You see more of the parents in the 90s movie and Matilda's older brother, that was cut from this version.

Great reaction, guys. By the way, the Tardis is Dr. Who's timeship. Outside it looked like a common phone booth, inside was an entire ship. That's why the kids said Bruce's body was like the Tardis.

The telekinesis is an empowerment thing. As a kid you want to be able to fight back against bullies that are too big for you to fight. As a kid that was my favorite part. She got the power to fight back in a way we all dreamed of.

I actually much prefer that the more emotional songs don’t end with a high note. Ending on a high note instead would often make it feel like more of a show performance - a moment for the actor - rather than an emotional moment for the character.

It’s literally a story about her using her telekinesis to save her school and friends. I thought you said you watched the movie? It’s pretty hard to forget that part of the story.

The Telekinesis is from the original novel, but her character plays out a bit differently. In the original book, Matilda is very shy and doesn't start fighting back until she gets the Telekinesis.

I loved your reactions to Miss Honey’s verse in When I Grow Up. It resonates so much with me because even as adults there are just some inner demons you can’t get rid of.

The story definitely could work without the telekinesis but the telekinesis is the most iconic part of who Matilda is. Loved the reaction! Would be interesting to see your guys' opinions on the 1996 version :)

I sobbed too.. my 10 year old daughter is autistic with Pathological Demand Avoidance and she portrays what happens in school through either stories or writing songs (she plays guitar and piano). She is extremely smart but some of her peers are truly cruel. The song 'quiet' where trunchbull is yelling at matilda and she floats away on the hot air balloon is basically an Autistic meltdown or panic attack and she disassociates herself from reality to protect her mind. Alisha portrays it perfectly. I saw my child's thought process and I did exactly the same thing. The movie is a masterpiece and Alisha Weir is a little genius. I never expected to connect on the level that I did. My daughter is getting bullied at school.

Tim Minchin is a lyrical genius. I've seen the show 4 times and the movie is a great adaptation though there are obviously some changes In the musical Miss Trunchbull is always played by a man so the songs are in a slightly tricky range. Mrs Wormwood is a passionate ballroom dancer in the stage show and has a great number named Loud. When I grow up is performed on swings. And the final number is unique to the film. The students are both adults and kids in the stage show, the kids are the 5/6 year olds and the adults represent the oldest kids

See I feel like they didnt just add powers out of nowhere. But this version most of this was set up by Tim Minchin whos very clever at foreshadowing without hand holding. The very first song as about childrens parents seeing them as miracles, but they're normal children. Matilda was the the opposite from the moment she was born. she's literally a miracle.

Funny you're not feeling the telekinesis in the movie when Matilda is ALL about her being able to move things with her mind. It's not something they added in the movie just for fun, it's all in the original.

23:35 TARDIS is Time And Relative Dimension In Space It's a time machine from a series called Doctor Who, which is a small blue telephone box but it's huge inside.

Your reaction to School Song was so amazing it was the same exact emotions i went through when I first heard it

Yeah the telekinesis is an integral part of Matilda, if you're gonna complain about it then at least understand the original material

I saw this when they toured Australia, and I didn’t see the reveal coming - that Miss Honey was the escapologists daughter. So when she pulls the scarf out during her song about her house I got chills all over me, it was such a brilliant reveal.

"When I grow up, I will go to bed late every night" Me: Brooooo LET ME SLEEP FROM 8pm to 12 pm and DON'T WAKE ME UP

Roald Dahl almost always have twists in his books you didn't expect. He also writes childrens stories with scary and often graphic elements. If you have never seen it, I urge you to watch "The Witches" from 1990, which is also based on one of his books. It scared the pants off me when I saw it in the cinema. I also urge you to read the Matilda book... even if it is for kids, his writing is also entertaining for adults.

This kid sold the performance with her eyes. She performed anger beautifully.

You can't have matilda without her powers... that's like the whole point. I actually like that they didn't make this completely about her powers but still had them in there. I think it was brilliant and your review wasn't fair. Don't hate me lol 😆 it's just you gotta know the story to understand why she had powers.

FYI: the movie is faithful to the spirit of the show. The orchestrations for "Miracle" and "Revolting Children" are fairly different. In the stage show, the opening number starts at a birthday party, where the kids are a bunch of spoiled brats. Also, the staging of the original School Song (alphabet song) is VERY cool. There's a lattice type gate that the letters get pushed through, which the actors climb on. You should look up clips on RU-vid. I'm explaining it badly. Also, fun fact, miss Trunchbull is usually played by men on stage. I'm glad they cast Emma Thompson. She was fantastic, and you could tell she was having an utter blast playing an unadulterated antagonist.

Lashana Lynch literally sounds like a Disney princess and she NEEDS to be cast in a Disney musical asap! 😍

The story loses what makes Matilda, Matilda if you take out her powers. The entire point is that her intelligence not being challenged gives her powers. She loses them as gets put in the proper class (in the original story). In the Danny Devito movie, her powers seem to be a mix of the abuse and her intelligence. They are essential to her character and the development of the story.

Doctor Disney, I so appreciate watching your raw emotion while watching Matilda. That was absolutely my same reaction. So beautiful so sad so much talent

33:07 - so interesting story. I was watching this the other night with my theatre friend who knows the cast and crew on the London West end version of the show very well, who told me this kid is someone from that production. Apparently (which I think is very nice) a lot of the kids in this are from the stage show which I think is a nice homage to the stage show.

You need to read the original Dahl s Original book! It all explains and makes sense.