Matilda The Musical on Covent Garden

Official Website for Matilda The Musical (UK): http://uk.matildathemusical.com/

Just came back from Matilda, the Musical and it is soooooo soooooo amazing! 

I can't even say how awesome and breathtaking it was because words just can't adequately do this musical justice.

Okay I say that about every single play/musical I watch in London or on Broadway but that's only because I truly mean it.

THEY ARE REALLY SO DARN GOOD, I TELL YOU.

*edit*

Us with our half-priced tickets that we got from TKTS. Yes, half price!

We got ours at 66 pounds, 8th row from the front!
I KNEW I'D ENJOY IT. Great deal for the 8th row from the front huh?

Some info on TKTS if you still have not heard of them.

What is TKTS?

TKTS is run by Society of London Theatre on behalf of the theatre industry. It is the original ticket booth and has operated since 1980 in the heart of Leicester Square. Its unique official status guarantees you amazing bargains, an incredible choice of shows, and friendly, award-winning customer service from our expert staff. And any profit from TKTS is used to fund a range of important activities in the theatre industry.

What can I buy at TKTS?

We're famous for half-price tickets on the day of performance for West End musicals, plays, opera and dance. But we've also got thousands of advance tickets, many at amazing discounts, all of them representing great value-for-money. A limited number of shows also sell full price tickets through TKTS. We also sell and accept Theatre Tokens.

How to find TKTS (Lesicester Square)?

The nearest London Underground stations are Leicester Square and Piccadilly Circus.

From Leicester Square Underground station: Exit onto Charing Cross Road. Head West along Cranbourn Street. At the end of Cranbourn Street, you will enter Leicester Square. Turn left and head to the South of the Square. TKTS is the building next to the Park, diagonally opposite the Radisson Edwardian Hampshire Hotel.

From Piccadilly Circus Underground station: Exit onto Coventry Street. Head East until you cross Wardour Street and approach Leicester Square. Once in the Square, turn right and head to the South of the Square. TKTS is the building next to the Park, diagonally opposite the Odeon cinema.

 PS: Information courtesy of TKTS.



Personally, TKTS is my must-stop every single time I'm in London or New York. (Yes, there's another TKTS for the shows on Broadway) Why wouldn't you go for heavily discounted tickets to the best musicals/plays in the world?!

I know for various reasons, there are people who don't appreciate theatre. Yes, it can be rather pricey for 2 hours odd, 3 hours of your life. But the very first time I watched one, I knew it was worth every single bit.

The professionalism of each and every one on stage as well as behind the curtains! It's live theatre and to be able to make it onto Broadway or London Theatre, every actor must have had a portfolio so mind-blowing, you can trust them to deliver the best on stage.

It doesn't matter if it's Les Misérables or Dirty Dancing or Matilda, the singing and the acting has never fell short of professional.
The grandeur of the theatre and stage set up is amazing too.


Okay, before I go further. Here's a couple of pictures I took of the TKTS booth at Leicester Square. There are instructions on how to get there above but it's also fairly easy to navigate without memorizing the instructions. Just go to Piccadilly Circus Underground tube station and ask the information counter or any of the staff for directions.

Note: The information counter also sells tickets to the musicals/play. They WILL try to sell you the tickets before giving you the directions to the TKTS booth. Take note of it and don't mistaken them for the TKTS booth! It's about 10 minutes walk from the station.

The TKTS booth looks like this.

Here's the queue forming to buy the discounted tickets. Not as bad as the queue on Broadway, really! And I was surprised to find that the TKTS booth in London also sells discounted tickets for shows the next day while the TKTS on Broadway, NYC, only sells shows that are playing the very same day.

So if you have time the next day for another show, why not?

A little bit information: Matilda is located on Covent Garden.

To get there, take the underground tube to Leicester Square. Exit towards Long Acre St and turn left towards Mercer St. It is about 10 minutes walk.

If you are lost, just ask for directions! The British are very friendly people and everyone there will know where these theatres are. You will be looking out for the Cambridge Theatre.

Here are some pictures of the Cambridge Theatre from the outside.

(Indeed it's one of the best musicals on my list so far!)

That's my friend Shirley saying Hi from across the street.

And me getting very excited for the show!

(See, I told you Samsung S5's front camera sucks. You can't even see the huge Matilda signboard behind. wtf)

Matilda was such a big hit by Roald Dahl. Also, having been made into a movie just gave me such high hopes for the musical.

 Upon entering, I was greeted by the amazing array of colours on stage. The stage setup is absolutely bright and cheery, and sets the tone for the anticipation of a fun-filled night.

My view from the 8th row. No zoom, no edits done.

The wonderful thing about Matilda is that they aren't dead strict on photography inside the theatre. Yes, photography and videography isn't allowed whilst the performance is ongoing but pictures before and after the show and during the interval is allowed.

I remember going to other shows like Phantom of the Opera and Les Misérables and the staff hunt cameras down like dogs.

Of course it would be unethical to video parts of the performance due to rights and all, but I'm really glad that they do at least allow pictures inside the theatre when the performers are off stage.

That way, I can keep these pictures as memories!

I won't go into details of the show because I am not a critic. (though I've been trained to be one as a literature major, but come on, those people are too harsh!)

But I must say Matilda is one of the best musicals I've ever watched. Be prepared for a theatre full of children, be it onstage or offstage. Offstage because this is such a family oriented performance, do be warned you'll be surrounded by children in the audience.

Onstage the children are wonderful professionals who certainly do not pale in comparison next to the adults. Though I may not say so for the other way because the child actors are simply impressive that you might tend to give them all the credit!

Although I really give credit to Miss Trunchbull who was very very into character, so much so that when he she speaks, you can see specks of saliva shooting out of his her mouth for there's always so much vehemence in his her words. Poor actors around Miss Truchbull, they must have saliva on their faces all the time, every single night.

Thumbs-up for this Miss Truchbull!

Matilda, a must watch for all theatre-goers! For non-theatre goers, you might enjoy it too. Just get your tickets at half price and I'm sure you will feel the pinch less.