The Royal Shakespeare Company’s production of Matilda The Musical will return to Australia in 2027, opening at Melbourne’s Princess Theatre before seasons in Sydney and Brisbane.
by Paul Cashmere
The Royal Shakespeare Company’s Matilda The Musical will return to Australia in 2027, more than a decade after its original Australian production became one of the country’s most successful musical theatre engagements. The new season will open at Melbourne’s Princess Theatre from October 2027 before moving to the Sydney Lyric and QPAC’s Lyric Theatre in Brisbane.
The return brings the RSC production back to Australian stages after its first national season ran for more than two years between 2015 and 2017. That production played to more than one million Australian theatregoers and established Matilda The Musical as one of the country’s most awarded theatrical productions, including a record 13 Helpmann Awards in 2016.
The 2027 season will again be based on the production created by the Royal Shakespeare Company from Roald Dahl’s 1988 novel. Dennis Kelly wrote the book, with music and lyrics by Australian composer and performer Tim Minchin. Matthew Warchus directed the original production, with Rob Howell responsible for design, Peter Darling for choreography and Christopher Nightingale for orchestrations and additional music.
The RSC’s co-artistic directors, Tamara Harvey and Daniel Evans, said the central character’s resilience remains relevant more than 15 years after the musical was first staged.
“After its premiere over 15 years ago in Stratford-upon-Avon, Matilda Wormwood’s genius is still teaching us that even if you’re little you can do a lot,” they said, adding that Matilda’s resilience continues to inspire new generations.
Matilda The Musical centres on Matilda Wormwood, an exceptionally intelligent young girl whose love of reading and powerful imagination help her confront an environment dominated by adults who underestimate her. At school, she encounters the authoritarian Miss Trunchbull while forming a relationship with the sympathetic Miss Honey.
Minchin’s score became a defining component of the stage adaptation, combining comic songs with material that advances the story and gives Matilda and the other characters their own musical identities. The production also incorporates elaborate choreography, theatrical illusions and Rob Howell’s distinctive visual design.
For Minchin, the Australian return represents an opportunity for a new generation of performers and audiences to encounter the production.
“I am so, so excited that Matilda is touring Australia again,” Minchin said. “The 2015-17 tour was absolutely brilliant, a genuinely world-class production to rival the West End version. Now, a decade later, a whole new batch of incredible Aussie performers and crew and craftspeople will be putting the show on.”
The musical began as an RSC project in Stratford-upon-Avon, where it opened at the Courtyard Theatre in December 2010. It subsequently transferred to London’s West End in 2011 and has remained there at the Cambridge Theatre, making it one of the longest-running productions in West End history.
Its international expansion followed with a Broadway production opening in 2013, a US national tour from 2015 to 2017 and further productions and tours in other territories. The stage production has accumulated more than 100 international awards, according to the RSC, and has been seen by more than 13 million people across more than 100 cities.
The Australian production that opened in Sydney in 2015 featured James Millar as Miss Trunchbull, Elise McCann as Miss Honey, Marika Aubrey and Daniel Frederiksen as Mr and Mrs Wormwood, with four young performers sharing the title role. The season subsequently travelled through Australia and New Zealand before concluding its Australian engagement.
The musical’s reach extended beyond the theatre with the 2022 film adaptation, directed by Matthew Warchus and featuring music from Minchin’s stage production. The film introduced the story and songs to another international audience through its theatrical and Netflix release.
Australian producer Louise Withers, who is returning to produce the 2027 production with Michael Coppel and Linda Bewick, said the response to the original Australian season demonstrated the production’s ability to connect across generations.
“The beauty of Matilda is that every generation discovers something different within it,” Withers said. “Children see possibility, adults rediscover wonder, and families share an unforgettable experience together.”
The 2027 Australian season will therefore reunite the Royal Shakespeare Company’s production with an audience already familiar with its history while introducing it to children and families experiencing the musical for the first time.
Tour Dates
October 2027, Melbourne, Princess Theatre
2027, Sydney, Sydney Lyric
2027, Brisbane, QPAC’s Lyric Theatre
Ticket Details
A waitlist is available for priority ticket information, on-sale announcements and production news for the 2027 Australian season.
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