Dramaturgical

MATILDA THE MUSICAL

A LOVE LETTER TO THE POWER OF STORIES

AN INTERVIEW WITH TIM MINCHIN

Australian comedian, actor, writer, musician, composer, lyricist, and director Tim Minchin wrote his first theatrical score at 18 and has since written the music and lyrics for the stage version of Matilda. The interview below, slightly edited for clarity, originally appeared in the Bristol Magazine.

How did you first get involved in Matilda the Musical?

Back in 2008 I was beginning to get some traction as a comedian. The Royal Shakespeare Company called me in for a meeting and I didn’t know what it was about, so I sort of walked in blind. Matthew Warchus, who was so unassuming I didn’t realize he was a giant of his field, asked if I knew Roald Dahl’s work. I said yes, of course, and he said they were thinking about making a musical of Matilda. I told him the same thought had occurred to me a few years earlier and I’d even tried to get the rights. So it was a moment of huge convergence. But because things were going well in my comedy career, when they first offered me the job I hesitated. Fortunately I ignored my doubts when I realized what an amazing opportunity this was.

What were your priorities when it came to writing the music?

Writing musicals is hard, because it’s really easy for them to be cheesy nonsense. And with Dahl it felt especially important to avoid this. He was the king of my childhood, and he wrote with this holy trinity of humor, heart, and darkness. The humor

 TIM MINCHIN AT THE MATILDA SYDNEY MEDIA LAUNCH, OCTOBER 2014. PHOTO: JAMES MORGAN.

and the heart only work with the darkness to offset them; without it you’re not doing him justice. There’s a lot of stuff you can’t put cherries on, especially in Matilda. So primarily I wanted to make sure that when the actors started singing the songs, the audience didn’t feel compelled to slap them. I passionately wanted to avoid a ‘Disneyfication’ of the story.

What’s the difference with having child actors at the heart of the show?

The extraordinary thing about Matilda is that you’re watching [Roald Dahl] was the king of my childhood, and he wrote with this holy trinity of humor, heart, and darkness. The humor and the heart only work with the darkness to offset them; without it you’re not doing him justice.

The extraordinary thing about Matilda is that you’re watching a show about a miraculous child, being performed by seemingly miraculous children. I wrote the songs for children and always crossed my fingers that we could find young performers with the talent to deliver them. It soon became apparent that we could.

a show about a miraculous child, being performed by seemingly miraculous children. I wrote the songs for children and always crossed my fingers that we could find young performers with the talent to deliver them. It soon became apparent that we could. I especially love it when people come with quite low expectations of how good a show performed by kids can be, then have their minds blown.

Do you have a favorite moment in the show? It depends on the performance, but if I had to pick one I’d say “Quiet.” It’s just this amazing moment when a small child stands in a spotlight with her eyes closed and her arms out, after this freefall of ideas has gone through her brain. And there’s total silence. It comes at the point in the musical where typically you get a big, belting song. But we put two fingers up at that, because at that point in the story our character just needs peace. It always makes me feel very special.

 SYRACUSE STAGE SCENIC ARTISTS PREPARE FOR MATILDA.

Matilda is a love letter to the power of stories, imagination and kindness in the face of cruelty, greed and superficiality. I think it’s become even more relevant in recent years. On top of that, it tells kids that reading is cool, and that changing your story and standing up to bullies is possible. That’s a timeless message.

Is the show just as relevant now as when it opened?

Matilda is a love letter to the power of stories, imagination and kindness in the face of cruelty, greed and superficiality. I think it’s become even more relevant in recent years. On top of that, it tells kids that reading is cool, and that changing your story and standing up to bullies is possible. That’s a timeless message.

One of the songs you wrote for the show is When I Grow Up. When you were young, what did you want to be when you grew up?

I wanted to be a farmer, which was a bit weird because I was asthmatic and allergic to hay. But my grandad had a farm we loved, so my brother and I naturally wanted to be farmers. Later I wanted to be a teacher, partly because I never really thought you could be a poet or a songwriter. It took me a long time to work out that it could be a genuine career path.

If you could have a magical power, like Matilda, what would it be?

I would like her ability to read so many books in a week. Especially now I’ve got kids attending new schools, I feel I have a lot to catch up on. But usually I get halfway through a page and fall asleep with the book on my face. So I would love to have Matilda’s ability to vacuum up knowledge; I’m so frustrated by the books on my own bookshelf, never mind the countless others in the libraries of the world.

MATILDA CHOCOLATE CAKE RECIPE

FROM DANCE AROUND THE KITCHEN

The ingredients for the prop cake Miss Trunchbull employs as an instrument of punishment are sound muffling foam, spandex, and silicone. Tasty for a goat, perhaps, but punishing for the human palate. For a much tastier treat, try this recipe for Matilda's chocolate cake from (appropriately) Dance Around the Kitchen.

 ABOVE: PROP CAKE FEATURED IN MATILDA THE MUSICAL.

INGREDIENTS

Chocolate Cake Layers

• 2 c flour • 2 c sugar • 3/4 c cocoa powder • 1 tsp salt • 1 tsp baking powder • 2 tsp baking soda • 1/2 c vegetable oil • 1 c buttermilk • 2 eggs • 1 tsp vanilla • 1 c hot coffee

Glossy Chocolate Frosting

• 1/2 c salted butter • 3/4 c semi-sweet chocolate chips • 1 1/3 c sugar • 1/2 c cocoa powder • 1/4 tsp salt • 1 c cream • 1/3 c sour cream • 1 tsp vanilla

INSTRUCTIONS

Cake Layers

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. 2. Grease two 9” round cake pans and line the bottom with parchment paper. 3. Add flour, sugar, cocoa powder, salt, baking powder and baking soda to your mixing bowl (I use a stand mixer with the whisk attachment). Stir until combined. 4. In a medium bowl, whisk together the oil, buttermilk, eggs and vanilla. Once combined, add in the coffee slowly so you don’t cook the eggs. 5. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir slowly until combined.

Then mix on high for two minutes, scraping the sides halfway through. 6. Distribute the batter between the two prepared pans. 7. Bake for 35-45 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. (A few moist crumbs sticking to the toothpick is fine, but you don’t want it gooey). 8. Cool for a few minutes. Run a butter knife around the outside of each pan, and turn the cakes out onto a cooling rack.

Glossy Chocolate Frosting

1. In a saucepan, melt the butter over low heat. 2. Add the chocolate chips and stir until melted. 3. Add the sugar, cocoa and salt and whisk together. (It will be a little bit grainy at this point, which is fine). 4. Whisk in the cream and sour cream. Continue to cook on low heat until hot and smooth, but do not let it boil. 5. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla. 6. Let the frosting cool in the fridge (it’ll thicken) until it’s at the right consistency.* 7. Stir the frosting until smooth and frost the cake.

NOTES

*If the frosting thickens more than you’d like in the fridge, set it out at room temperature for a bit until it softens.