Matilda Opens in West End to Five Star Reviews

Matilda is a gem. On its debut at the Royal Shakespeare Company's Stratford-upon-Avon home last winter, it looked a show of rare inventiveness and charm. Now, as it bursts onto the London stage, it seems every bit as enchanting - a winter warmer but with a nice side-order of surrealism. At the heart of this satisfyingly fresh adaptation of a cherished Roald Dahl story are Australian comedian Tim Minchin's music and lyrics, which ooze humour without veering towards smugness.

Verdict: ***** Henry Hitchings The Evening Standard (read the full review here)

The star turn is Bertie Carvel as Miss Trunchbull, the hammer-throwing champion of a sadistic headmistress, who comes on like Richard III in drag, vast of bust, psychotic in her mood swings and much prone to whirling children around in the air by their pigtails. Carvel – who is especially sinister in his soft-spoken moments of icy stillness and calm – is at once terrifying and hilarious, and the cherry on the cake of this glorious production.

Verdict ***** Charles Spencer The Telegraph (read the full review here)