The Biggest Difference Between Matilda the Musical and Roald Dahl's Book

The Matilda musical is adapted from Roald Dahl's famous novel Matilda, but what is the biggest difference between the musical adaptation and the original?

Even though Matilda The Musical retains the basic plot of Roald Dahl's book Matilda, the musical still differs from its source material in some major ways. Matilda the Musical is based on Matilda, one of the most famous children's novels of all time, written in 1988 by British novelist Roald Dahl. However, much like the book's previous screen adaptation (Danny DeVito's Matilda in 1996), the Matilda musical takes little creative freedom and uses various The situation deviates from the narrative in the book.

Despite changes from Roald Dahl's original book, Matilda the Musical manages to capture the feel of Matilda and depicts much the same story on screen - albeit with some added elements. Matilda the Musical alters the original book with new storylines or details in order to add another dimension to the story and allow Roald Dahl's adaptation to stand on its own, rather than simply referencing its source material. However, "Matilda" is also faithful to the original story in some key respects: Unlike previous "Matilda" films, "Matilda" retains its British setting and stays true to the original story.

Matilda's Family In The Musical Is Different From The Book

most notable change In Matilda's family, her brother Michael Wormwood disappeared from the musical Matilda. Instead, Matilda was the only child in the musical, which further contributed to her parents' displeasure with Matilda herself, as they were portrayed as wanting a boy. This would not have been possible in the original story, as the Wormwoods already had a son before Matilda was born. Another big change is the reason Matilda's family flees England: In the book, they're evading the police, but in the plot of Matilda's musical, it's the Russian Mafia.

Matilda's family also differs from the one described in the book in terms of Matilda's parents. In "Matilda", Harry Wormwood is described as tall and thin and his wife is overweight, while in "Matilda" they are the exact opposite in appearance. What’s more, Mrs. Wormwood’s hobby has changed from bingo — she ignores her daughter in the book and the 1996 film — to dancing. Likewise, Matilda's father undergoes a small change, and after Matilda replaces his hair restorer with Lady, his hair turns green instead of silver as in the book. Wormwood hair dye.

How Matilda The Musical Changes The Story Of The Escapologist & The Acrobat

A subplot in the main story of Matilda the Musical involves Matilda telling the librarian Mrs. Phelps a story about a fugitive and an acrobat throughout the film. In Netflix's musical "Matilda," the story seems to come to Matilda at various stages, as the main character goes through various struggles in the school and home environment. As more of the story is revealed to her, Matilda shares it with Mrs. Phelps, who is always eager to know how it ends, and the audience sees what Matilda and Mrs. Phelps witnessed firsthand.

The story of the escapee and the juggler is particularly relevant, as it is revealed to be Miss Honey's backstory, thus connecting the latter to Matilda on a deeper level. Not only that, but it's a neat way of organically showing the audience Matilda's intelligence and creativity. Including the story of the fugitives and the acrobats is a big change in the Matilda musical from Roald Dahl's Matilda, as it is never mentioned in the original.

The Librarian's Role In Matilda The Musical

Matilda The Musical has an impressive cast, featuring Sindhu Vee Mrs. Phelps plays an important role in the film. Mrs. Phelps is a recurring character in Matilda's musical, and one of the few adult characters that Matilda can really rely on. And, as the story progresses, Mrs. Phelps is also one of the few adult characters who cares and believes in Matilda. Although Mrs. Phelps is mentioned at the beginning of the book, she is not as recurring and reliable in Matilda's life as the librarian in the musical Matilda.

Does Matilda Go In The Chokey In The Book?

Choking is one of the scariest elements in Matilda the Musical for children. It was a small black closet, described as not big enough to sit in, and riddled with nails, which Emma Thompson's Miss Trunchbull used as punishment and instrument of torture. In the musical Matilda, Matilda sees Bruce being taken to the chokehold by Miss Trunchbull, but she herself is never sent to the chokehold. This also happens in the books - however, while Matilda uses her powers to destroy the choker in the musical adaptation, this never happens in Roald Dahl's Matilda.

How Matilda The Musical Changes The Book's Ending

At the end of Matilda, The protagonist succeeds in overthrowing Miss Trunchbull as Headmaster and using her powers to expel her from Cronholm Hall for good. While the same happens in "Matilda the Musical," things aren't quite as they are in the books. In Matilda the Musical, Miss Trunchbull ran away from school after Matilda used her powers to organize an attack and was helped by her classmates, and was never seen again. In Roald Dahl's Matilda, there is no attack, but the headmistress faints and leaves forever after seeing a message seemingly written by Magnus.

Another difference in the ending of Matilda the Musical compared to the book is Matilda and the school itself. When Miss Trunchbull leaves in the books, Mr Tilby becomes the new headmaster of the school. Mr. Thirlby doesn't exist in the musical Matilda, so it's safe to assume Miss Honey is the one who ends up being the headmistress. Matilda also reveals that the main character loses her superpowers after her rise to high society, possibly because her brain power is busy with more complex lessons that aren't mentioned in "Matilda the Musical."