The Royal Shakespeare Company production of Matilda the Musical, which continues at the Cambridge Theatre, recently celebrated its 5,000th performance in the West End.
The musical received its world premiere in 2009 from the RSC in Stratford-upon-Avon, transferring to London's West End in 2011 and winning seven Olivier Awards (including Best New Musical) in 2012.
Now the 15th longest-running production in the West End, Matilda has been seen by 12 million people across 100 cities worldwide. A U.K. and Ireland tour will open at Leicester Curve in October.
Watch the company mark the 5,000th performance in the video above and in the photos below.
Suki Hillier, Mia Rogers, Alexis Whitehead, and Angelica Scott currently share the title role in the London staging.
The adult cast includes Tiffany Graves as Mrs. Wormwood, Kieran Hill as Miss Trunchbull, Neil McDermott as Mr. Wormwood, and Eve Norris as Miss Honey plus ensemble members Esme Bacalla-Hayes, Pearce Barron, Alex Louize Bird, Reece Budin, Ronan Burns, Dan Cooke, William Elijah-Lewis, Karina Hind, Issy Khogali, Sam Lips, Sam Jeffrey Parkes, Jak Skelly, Gabrielle Davina Smith, Deborah Tracey, Ralph Watts, and Dawn Williams.
Young performers also include Janai Bartlett, Alexander Beaumont, Kobe Champion-Norville, William Gurney, Arietta Hall, Annabelle Haverson, Chase King, Reuben Laming, Lexi Lancaster, Elsie Laslett, Maxwell McGetrick, Theo Oh, Myla Park, Josh Pegler, Drew Reilly, Harry Relf, Isabella Rummery, Ashley Taylor, Khit Thakhin, Aisha Ugurhan, Joseph Burrows, Pasquale Folivi AD, Joey Grady, Adam Hussain, and Isabelle McLatchie.
With a Tony-winning book by Dennis Kelly and music and lyrics by Tim Minchin (Groundhog Day), Matilda tells the story of a five year-old girl whose love of reading and active imagination puts her at odds with her family and the diabolical school headmistress Miss Trunchbull. Matilda discovers she has secret powers and uses them, with help from her beloved teacher Miss Honey, to restore justice to her world.
The production transferred to Broadway in 2013, winning Tony Awards for Best Book, Featured Actor (Gabriel Ebert), Lighting Design (Hugh Vanstone), and Scenic Design (Rob Howell). The four young actors who alternated in the title role (Sophia Gennusa, Oona Laurence, Bailey Ryon, and Milly Shapiro) were also honored with a Tony Honor for Excellence in the Theatre. The Broadway production closed in 2017 after playing 1,555 performances.
The hit musical is directed by Matthew Warchus with designs by Rob Howell, choreography by Peter Darling, orchestrations, additional music, and musical supervision by Christopher Nightingale, lighting by Hugh Vanstone, sound by Simon Baker, and special effects and illusions by Paul Kieve.
