Fans snap up tickets for Dahling musical
QUEUES FOR BEST SEATS IN THE HOUSE FOR MATILDA
Fans eager to get their hands on tickets for the best seats in the house at Matilda The Musical were given a treat worthy of Bruce Bogtrotter.
The first 100 people in the queue at Sunderland Empire as ticket sales for the West End hit went live were given chocolate cup cakes topped with the musical’s logo.
Earlier this month, the Echo revealed that the show, based on the Roald Dahl children’s classic, will make its North East debut at the High Street West venue next year, on its first UK and Ireland tour.
The multi-award winning musical, which plays to packed houses at London’s Cambridge theatre, will hit the road and play a fourweek run at the Empire from May 8 to June 2.
Lucie Webster, from Roker, was first in the queue at 8.30am yesterday for tickets going on general sale at 10am.
She said: “I come and see all the big shows at Sunderland Empire, from Billy Elliot and Wicked to Riverdance and I’ve even performed on stage here in previous years at the Schools Dance Festily val, which was a great experience.
“This will be my first time seeing Matilda the Musical. It’s a show I’ve always wanted to see with family, so it’s great that I get to see it at my local theatre.”
Matilda the Musical is the latest theatrical coup for the Wearside theatre, which in recent years has hosted the North East debuts of Lion King, Wicked, War Horse and Billy Elliot.
The Empire is one of onFancy 13 theatres in the country capable of hosting the largescale show, produced by the Royal Shakespeare Company.
Scripted by Dennis Kelly, with original songs by Tim Minchin and direction by Matthew Warchus, Matilda The Musical is the story of an extraordinary little girl who, armed with a vivid imagination and a sharp mind, dares to take a stand and change her own destiny.
The musical was commissioned by the Royal Shakespeare Company and premiered at the RSC’s The Courtyard Theatre, in Stratford-upon-Avon, in November 2010, before transferring to London’s West End in October 2011, where it opened to rave reviews.
Winner of 85 major international awards, including 16 for Best Musical, Matilda The Musical has been seen by more than 6.5 million people worldwide.
Matilda is at Sunderland Empire from May 8 to June 2, 2018. Tickets from the Box Office, via the ticket centre 0844 871 3022 or www.ATGtickets.com/Sunderland.
“It’s great that I can see Matilda at my local theatre” LUCIE WEBSTER