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This post will probably contain some spoilers. It's just too hard writing about stuff like this without spilling a few beans.
Today I took the train into Seoul with my six year-old daughter to see a Korean adaptation of the Matilda musical. It was actually very good, much better than I expected it to be. I had seen the film version of this musical, which came out somewhat recently, and while it is enjoyable in its own unique way (with some special qualities I will soon mention), I didn't exactly fall in love with it. It is a nice movie, and the deviations from the original story are interesting, but perhaps I am just too attached to the original film adaptation which came out when I was a child. Anyway, seeing it live was such a wonderful experience. I'd like to say some things about it, and share some thoughts about the film version and about Matilda in general.
First of all, this was a very well-produced show. The set was fantastic, and the lighting was very well-done. There were many impressive coordinations among the lighting, props, set, and choreography that appeared very difficult to achieve. Not to mention that they pull off a few impressive stunts and even magic-like tricks! Most of the cast are kids who appear to be primary school-aged. Last year I remember hearing that someone had given the show a negative review because they felt the child actors couldn't quite deliver a professional performance or something like that, so I went into it today expecting it to be maybe even a bit gauche. But it was not at all. These kids are pros. They could outdance me any day, and their acting and singing were fantastic. If for some reason one of you are reading this: you all were absolutely stellar.
Apparently Matilda is played by a different girl during each performance. Well, the girl who played her today was just perfect for the role, especially the Matilda character adapted for the musical. She just nailed it. Her delivery and expressions were so judicious and confident. At the climax of the show (yeah here comes a spoiler) the Trunchbull is about to punish some kid for no reason after an exhausting period of phys. ed., then Matilda shouts out "That's not right!" The whole place just exploded with cheers and applause. It was such a powerful moment. I wondered how it must feel to be this little girl playing Matilda and getting to be at the center of that each time. But seriously, this little girl's enunciation was on point.
And the Trunchbull. Agatha Trunchbull is somewhat of an iconic character, and sort of the culmination of Roald Dahl's lifelong attempt to express the injustice and indignity of abusive authoritarian adults and institutions such as those he endured in his own life. The Trunchbull of this particular Korean adaptation was hands down my favorite portrayal and interpretation of the character out of all that I have seen. The character is more vain, petty, and insecure, which gives her a bit more dimension. She isn't just an evil headmistress, she is a person with hopes, dreams, and fears. She appears just as indestructible as ever, but in a way more vulnerable too. I think this also is just a wonderful personification of authoritarianism---that it is illegitimate and symptomatic of shallow values and narrow perspectives. (All the "bad" adults in Matilda's life live in jails they build for themselves and attempt to cage others in with them). What I liked most about this Trunchbull, though, was that she was kind of the comic relief. In this production she was also played by a man, and I think that contributed to making the character unique. At the end of the show after the whole cast does a musical number whilst taking bows, Matilda comes out front and center, singing the last few lines of the show, and just before she strikes the I-contain-multitude-hear-me-roar "Matilda pose" in the spotlight, the Trunchbull zips across the back of the stage on a scooter muttering "little maggots..." This quirkiness was really fun, and other such silliness was sprinkled all throughout the show.
Oh, and the music was done by a live band. I didn't even realize this until about a dozen musicians came out to bow at the end! This show was very tight!
Something about the musical, and even the film version of it, is that the ending is not as satisfying. The Trunchbull gets scared off, but it feels like the kids don't get a chance to exact their revenge or at least oust her in a physical act of solidarity. I mean, all the ingredients are there, it is just not as satisfying as the whole school throwing their lunches at the Trunchbull, you know?
So, the musical adaptation deviates from the original story in some interesting ways. The librarian, Ms. Phelps, is more of a central character. Matilda visits her and regales her with stories about these acrobats and their child who is eventually orphaned due to the misdeeds of her evil aunt. The story Matilda tells turns out to be true---it is the life story of her teacher, Ms. Honey. It's an interesting variation on the original, but what I loved most about it in the film is this. Matilda tells bits of this story to Ms. Phelps as they come to her. She always leaves her on the edge of her seat. Is this a love story? Does it have a happy ending? It obviously takes dark turns, and Ms. Phelps seems to want it to have a happy ending, and even seems kind of concerned that Matilda is coming up with such dark material. Before Matilda goes to school to open a can of whoop ass on the Trunchbull, and finish the ending of her story, she stops by Ms. Phelps' library to return a book (one her father tore pages out of after failing to tear it in half). The book was Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck, and as she leaves it at her door Matilda says, "sorry Ms. Phelps, not all stories have a happy ending." I thought this was quite clever, because Grapes of Wrath has a very unhappy yet profoundly beautiful ending---probably my favorite ending of all the books I've ever read. It is hard to describe the note that Grapes of Wrath ends on, but if you have read it you will know what I mean. But this scene in Matilda is also clever because the "grapes of wrath" are a metaphor for the fruits that oppression ultimately reaps. You can only push people so far before you have to face their wrath. I love the thought of Matilda reading Grapes of Wrath and taking it upon herself to stand up against their oppressor and take justice into her own hands.
The story of Matilda is very moving for me. I remember loving it as a kid and feeling this sense of solidarity among all children of the world---this feeling that our existence is justified, that we don't have to be a certain way. It's an exciting feeling. It is not that I felt actively oppressed, but rather that this mood of "Can I kick it? (Yes you can!)" is an empowering one. It is the feeling of having realized that you have inherent worth and that you possess an inalienable power capable of changing the world. Matilda's telekinesis is a metaphor for this power. The book suggests that maybe she was forced to realize that power under especially harsh conditions, but it makes it pretty clear that what was always special about her is that she loved to learn. In spite of everything, she taught herself to read exceptionally well, and from there she was able to learn about high level math, biology, etc. This is the power we all have. It is part of being a living organism: growing. Which is just another way of saying living, which is just another way of saying learning.
I wonder about all the kids in the audience today and what they thought about the play or the book. I don't think Korea is necessarily a great place to be a kid. It may not be as harsh as Crunchem Hall, but the difference is mostly cosmetic. There are perhaps fewer Trunchbulls and more Ms. Honeys, but the fact of the matter is that compulsory schooling is the same bureaucratic system serving the remote, vague ends of "development." Kids are obligated to be or be made into "productive" members of society, meaning, we have to inculcate the values which will perpetuate industrial modes of production and subsistence. "No matter how convivially a teacher tries to conduct his class, his pupils learn through him to which class they belong." You may not have to live in fear of the Chokey, but you are still obligated to carry the weight. You may have the right to refuse, but you will be discriminated against. How's that for a Chokey?
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