The West End: Matilda

We were in London for a few days before and after a cruise to Norway.  We still have a 7-year boy, so I was concerned that he would get bored and sleep or complain all the way through shows that we paid for.  So we got tickets to Shrek, I insisted on Lion King (I. Love. This show.), and Hyrum picked Matilda. He loved the book.

Shrek was exhausting.  The talent on the show was... blasting?  The songs are ALL epic belters, and all of the actors are epic belters, and there is evidently only so much my body can take of that.  I know.  I was as surprised as you.  The kids fell asleep anyway.  Also there was a full-length belting tap number of sequin-dripping rats.  So... that was a lot.

Lion King was disappointing, and I was shocked.  Young Simba was darling and talented, but not up to scratch.  Timon, though.  Stole the show.  And Rafiki.  Holy cats she was so awesome.  Also- and this was the case in Shrek, as well- there was trouble with the sound and we couldn't hear about 30% of what they were saying.

I was not excited about Matilda.  I've heard that it was playing (since 2011), but I didn't read the book and I got enough of the idea from the movie trailer to know that I wasn't interested, since I have a really hard time with child abuse as a plot line.

But this show...  Jeez where do I begin?  The children were perfection.  They were precise, and their timing was flawless and individually natural.  These were, each one, children with fantastic comic timing.  And this is a hard show.  So many words.  The voices were perfect for each role and the parents were horrid in exactly the right way.  I hated them intensely but was blown away with their talent and inspired by it at the same time.  The Trunchbull was played by a man who was just evil.  He played it so well, and the part is written with such an off-beat specificity.  Hyrum said it was very true to the feelings in the book.  Miss Honey was vulnerable and heartbreaking. 

Matilda.  Ava Posniak.  

I mean, what do I say?  She was better than I could have imagined.  And I loved her even more because a few times she scratched her nose.  I could tell this was not stage direction.  Could be a nerves thing, or maybe a bug bite- I don't know.  But reminded me with clarity that this is a little girl.  A wildly talented, accomplished professional, but still a little girl.  And in the end when the lights go out and come back on and she's in the Matilda pose, I just wanted her to hold on to that moment for the rest of her life. I want to hold onto that moment for the rest of my life. 

There's a song called "When I Grow Up" that had me in tears. 

When I grow up
I will be tall enough to reach the branches
That I need to reach to climb the trees
You get to climb when you're grown up

And when I grow up
I will be smart enough to answer all the questions
That you need to know the answers to
Before you're grown up

And when I grow up
I will eat sweets everyday on the way to work
And I will go to bed late every night
And I will wake up when the sun comes up
And I will watch cartoons until my eyes go square
And I won't care 'cause I'll be all grown up
When I grow up

When I grow up
When I grow up
When I grow up
I will be strong enough to carry all the heavy things
You have to haul around with you when you a grown up

And when I grow up
When I grow up
When I grow up
I will be brave enough to fight the creatures
That you have to fight beneath the bed
Each night to be a grown up

And when I grow up
And when I grow up
I will have treats everyday
And I'll play with things that mum pretends
That mums don't think are fun

And I will wake up when the sun comes up
And I will spend all day just lying in the sun
And I won't burn 'cause I'll be all grown up
When I grow up

When I grow up
I will be brave enough to fight the creatures
That you have to fight beneath the bed
Each night to be a grown up

When I grow up
Just because you find that life's not fair
It doesn't mean that you just have to grin and bear it
If you always take it on the chin and wear it
Nothing will change

When I grow up
Just because I find myself in this story
It doesn't mean that everything is written for me
If I think the ending is fixed already
I might as well be saying I think that it's ok
And that's not right

I got really sad because the hope of what oppressions will be shaken in adulthood is... mostly nothing past hope.  There will never be a time when I don't burn in the sun.  And in fact, my body attacks itself when I get any sun exposure, whether I get burnt or not.  That didn't happen when I was little.  But then as I was listening to the song just now, I realized, I actually do get to do most of those things now that I'm grown up.  I do eat sweets every day.  And when someone I love isn't getting loved enough, I can do something about it, now.  And I even get to be in charge of loving the people I love.  What an incredible job.  Try to imagine a better job.

So I get to be Matilda and Miss Honey.

And you know what- I have learned that I feel more than other people.  The torrent of emotions that was this show... (thinking)  I wish for The Other Kind of People that they could have a little vacation into what it feels like to be The Us Who Feel So Much, because a show like this is like brushing your teeth, except for your soul.  It's rough and noisy and cleansing, and in the end you feel new.  A new version of you.  The Before Matilda Me, and The After.