Roald Dahl’s ‘Matilda the Musical’ Cast and Character Guide
Roald Dahl’s Matilda is a familiar name for many, and notably, nothing summarizes the history of Hollywood other than the history of Matilda’s adaptation. Based on the iconic and classic children’s novel, Roald Dahl’s Matilda narrates the empowering story of a gifted young girl with high intelligence and extraordinary mental gifts. She’s confronted by a sadistic and cruel headmistress, Miss Agatha Turnbull, played by Emma Thompson, and uncaring parents, Mr. Harry Wormwood and Mrs. Zinnia Wormwood, played by Andrea Riseborough, who is hell-bent on making Matilda’s (Alisha Weir) life miserable.
The long-awaited Netflix adaptation, directed by Matthew Warchus, was released on Christmas. An extraordinarily talented and extremely intelligent five-year-old avid reader quickly devours all the children’s books in the library. Her reading is a way to escape the harsh realities of life with her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Wormwood, who are both notoriously neglectful of her daughter emotionally and physically.
Matilda is enrolled in the Crunchem Hall, a school run by malevolent Miss Agatha Turnbull, who despises children. On the contrary, Matilda tries to uncover the mystery of Miss Honey’s father and learns to battle against her internal and external demons.
Let’s look at Matilda The Musical’s Cast
Alisha Weir as Matilda Wormwood
Played by an Irish actress and the main character of the cast throughout the movie, Matilda is a highly talented girl who has developed psychokinetic powers. Matilda is known to have a robust sense of humor, and her imagination prowess is considered to be beyond her years. Uncared for and unloved by her parents, she creates a new fictional world inside her head to escape the grim reality of her tumultuous life.
Despite her young age, Alisha Weir was previously cast in Micahel Tulley’s horror-thriller Don’t Leave Home and has appeared on the television series Darklands.
Emma Thompson as Miss Agatha Turnbull
Played by Academy Award winner Emma Thompson as Miss Agatha Turnbull, she is the headmistress of Crunchem Hall. Miss Turnbull despises and hates children and always has something in her sleeve to devise a twisted punishment in such a way that parents won’t believe it when their children tell them. One vile and evil example that can be considered is Miss Turnbull, who is known to throw children in the dank cupboard that is covered with nails and broken glass.
Miss Turnbull’s hatred and contempt go to such an extent that she denies having been a child to herself, as she is stuck in the glory days of her past as a 1972 Olympic athlete.
An icon and well-known Hollywood veteran, she has been cast in classics such as Sense and Sensibility (1995), Love Actually (2003), and Nancy McPhee (2005). Recently, she has been a part of the cast in Cruella (2021) and Good Luck To You, Leo Grande (2022).
Lashana Lynch as Miss Jennifer Honey
Played by the Marvel alum and perhaps the only good thing in the Crunchem Hall, Miss Jennifer Honey is known to be a very kind, timid, and considerate schoolteacher. Miss Honey is the niece of the Crunchem headmistress, Miss Turnbull. She became Miss Honey’s primary caretaker after the death of her father, Magnus Honey, under suspicious circumstances.
Miss Honey is the first teacher at school to recognize Matilda’s genius and extraordinary talent, and she quickly resorts to taking Matilda under her consideration. Suffering and accustomed to Miss Turnbull’s tyranny, Miss Honey can empathize with Matilda.
Lashana Lynch has previously been cast in Marvel’s Captain Marvel (2019) and The Woman King (2022). She was also seen alongside Daniel Craig in No Time to Die (2021).
Andrea Riseborough as Mrs. Zinnia Wormwood
Played by English actress and producer Andres Riseborough, Mrs. Zinnia despises her daughter from the bottom of her heart. Uncaring, unloving, and attentive towards her daughter, Mrs. Zinnia mostly likes to play bingo five times a week and has a profound interest in ballroom dancing. She has nothing but contempt for her daughter and is vain about her appearance. She only chooses to look after herself rather than her daughter’s upbringing and intellect.
Andres Riseborough is mainly known for being part of the sci-fi blockbuster Oblivion (2013), and recently she has been lauded for her impeccable performance as Leslie in To Leslie (2022).
Stephen Graham as Mr. Harry Wormwood
In another part of Matilda’s disdainful childhood, Mr. Harry, the father of Matilda, equally neglects her daughter. Stephen Graham stars alongside Andrea Riseborough as an acrimonious father. Driven by greed and being a part of shady business dealings, Matilda tries to warn her father against taking part in illegal activities. Instead, Matilda is abused, called names, referred to as a mistake, and despised for her books. Mr. Harry is a car salesman who sells broken-down and written-off cars for a much higher price than they are worth.
Stephen Graham is best known for being a cast member in the 2006 film This is England and his thrilling roles in Boiling Point (2021) and the crime-comedy film Snatch (2000).
Sindhu Vee as Mrs. Phelps
A kind and good-hearted librarian of the town’s local library who shows concern for Matilda as she often visits the library independently without a responsible adult. Being stunned by Matilda’s high intellect, Mrs. Phelps encourages Matilda’s passion, love, and desire for reading by putting together a reading list for her. One of the notable things that showcases the emphasizing nature of Mrs. Phelps is her concern about Matilda’s walk all the way to the library from her home.
Sidhu Vee is a writer and a stand-up comedian. She is best known for her roles as Shazia in the TV movie Bounty (2018), Sky Comedy: Sidhu Vee’s Live and Let Love (2018), and Libby in Mina Anwar’s The Importance of Being Earnest (2021).