Matilda

After trying and failing to get Matilda tickets on Wednesday, I was prepared today! I got to the theatre at just gone 9am to queue up for the 16 tickets for people between 16 and 25 years old that go on sale everyday at 10am. I was about 22nd in the queue, but luckily a few people in front of me got evening tickets, so there was still enough for me to a get a matinee one-at just £5! :)

The production was incredible. The first scene/song starts with the children and the first thing I thought was 'damn these children are good.' They were all perfectly in time and sync and really funny too! Cristina Fray played Matilda and she was amazing; her voice was flawless and she had great comedic timing, as did all the children.

I had already heard the songs because I have the album so I already knew I liked them, but hearing them live adds a whole other dimension to it-seeing how they are all staged and performed. I particularly loved the building blocks and just all round choreography in 'School Song.' Tim Minchin's clever lyrics really make the show.

David Leonard's Miss Trunchbull was amazingly gruesome and he did a wonderful and hilarious job portraying a character as vile and cruel as her. Also, Mark Goldthorp deserves a mention for being the  extremely comical Mr Wormood. I thought he was a true standout amongst the actors and that's not even his usual role!

The set was absolutely magical and definitely completed the show. It had the feeling of a children's story, but wasn't distracting from the content. The lighting was also well done and used in various ways and the tricks-such as throwing the children up in the air-looked very realistic. The sound, however, was a little distorted and especially at the beginning it was very difficult to hear the individual words the ensemble were singing.

The audience were mostly families with predominantly girls around 7-10 and the fact that you didn't hear a peep out of any of them during the entire performance shows how enticing this musical really is. It really is a show for all ages; a children's story and child friendly, but with some added humour that only adults and teens would understand.

Overall, even though it was a tiring and long day, I thoroughly enjoyed the show and would recommend it to anyone who likes a bit of childish fun and humour!

Georgia Goody-Miceli

4*

Once

Cast of 'Once'

On Tuesday I went to see a preview of 'Once' at the Phoenix Theatre. Preview tickets are £20 cheaper than seats when it officially opens and they performed in Dublin before here, so we decided to go now as they have still done the show many times already.

The first thing that struck me was going into the theatre and having all the ensemble on stage playing songs. It really made the atmosphere incredible and put a smile on everyone's faces! You could go up on stage and watch and they were selling drinks like in an actual pub.

The musical was absolutely incredible; all the people on stage played an instrument and made all the music themselves. What talented people they were! I already knew most of the music from the movie and the Broadway production, but they left out a few songs from the movie that I really liked which was unfortunate.

I particularly liked the set design as the mirrors added another layer to the show. It was also useful when the piano was turned away from the audience, but you could still see the Girl playing the keys through the reflection of the mirror.

However, the two leads were incredible-both their acting and their musicianship. The storyline was a mixture of comedic and serious moments and the two blended exceptionally with each other. The only minor detail I would say was a negative was that towards the end - in the second act - there were too many consecutive moments where the plot was moving a bit too slowly. However, that was only me being pedantic and overall I thought this production was fantastic.

I had been waiting to see it since it opened on Broadway, so I'm glad that it exceeded my expectations!

Georgia Goody-Miceli

4.5*