Editorial use only. No book cover usage.
Mandatory Credit: Photo by Francois Duhamel/Tri
Star/Kobal/Shutterstock (5883804q)
Danny De Vito, Mara Wilson, Rhea Perlman
Matilda – 1996
Director: Danny De Vito
Tri Star
USA
Scene StillFor a whole generation, she was the little
girl who could move things with her mind and stand up to the
scariest headmistress in film history. Three decades later, the
cast of a beloved 1996 movie came back together on one of London’s
most famous stages, and the villain was there
too.
In short
- The cast of Matilda reunited at London’s Royal Albert Hall to celebrate the film’s 30th anniversary.
- Danny DeVito, who directed the film and played Harry Wormwood, hosted the evening.
- Mara Wilson, now 39, was joined by Pam Ferris, who played Miss Trunchbull, and several of her young co-stars.
A reunion in front of 5,000 fans
The event, called “Matilda in Concert,” was a live screening of the 1996 film with the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra performing the score, according to The News and BroadwayWorld. Danny DeVito, who directed the film and played Matilda’s crooked father, hosted the night.
On stage, Mara Wilson was reunited with Kiami Davael (Lavender), Jacqueline Steiger (Amanda Thripp) and Kira Spencer Hesser (Hortensia), as well as Pam Ferris, whose Miss Trunchbull remains one of the most feared characters in children’s cinema.
‘I still cannot believe it’
Wilson shared her joy on Instagram. “Matilda 30th Anniversary Celebration at Royal Albert Hall in London! Five thousand Matilda fans! I still cannot believe it!” she wrote, thanking her co-stars, composer David Newman and “Uncle Danny.” She added that it was a joy to celebrate with people who mean so much to her.
Why Matilda still matters
Adapted from Roald Dahl’s 1988 book, Matilda follows a brilliant girl who uses her magical powers to stand up to her neglectful parents and the tyrannical headmistress Agatha Trunchbull. Released in 1996, it has become a favorite for viewers who grew up with it, which is exactly why this anniversary drew such a crowd.
The story has never really left the spotlight. The Royal Shakespeare Company turned it into Matilda the Musical, which opened in Stratford-upon-Avon in 2010 before moving to London’s West End and Broadway, and a film version of the musical, with Emma Thompson as Miss Trunchbull, arrived on Netflix in 2022. Yet for many fans, Mara Wilson and Pam Ferris remain the original Matilda and Trunchbull.
Like the original Charlie’s Angels reuniting 50 years later, this kind of reunion works because the audience grew up alongside the cast. Mara Wilson was a child star then; today, at 39, she is the one celebrating the girl she once played.
The limit
Reports on the event do not list every guest, so it is not clear whether other members of the original cast attended. The details of the evening come from reports on the event and from Mara Wilson’s own post, and no date has been announced for any future screenings.
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The bottom line
Thirty years after Matilda first proved that a little girl could outsmart everyone around her, 5,000 fans showed up to say thank you. Even Miss Trunchbull came along, and this time, nobody was thrown over the fence.
