Theatre News

Cast: New names for Matilda and To Sir With Love company enrol

James Clyde, Lisa Davina Phillip and Joshua Wyatt will join Olivier Award nominee Alex Gaumond in the Royal Shakespeare Company’s WhatsOnStage Award-winning production of Matilda the Musical at the Cambridge theatre from 3 September 2013.

James Clyde
James Clyde
© Paul Gilbert

Clyde, who has previously performed in Hamlet at The Young Vic and Twelfth Night at the National Theatre and recently appeared in God of Carnage in Southampton, will play Mr Wormwood, opposite the previously announced Kay Murphy as Mrs Wormwood.

Phillip will also join the adult company, playing librarian Mrs Phelps. She has previously appeared in Ghost the Musical, The Lion King and Trever Nunn’s production of Porgy and Bess.

Playing Matilda’s older brother, Michael Wormwood, will be Wyatt, who takes on his debut role after training at London Studio Centre.

They will join Alex Gaumond as Miss Trunchbull, the part originated by Bertie Carvel in both London and New York.

Matilda the Musical won a record-breaking seven Olivier Awards for this world premiere production in 2012 and four Tony Awards for the Broadway transfer earlier this year. It opened in the West End in 2011 after a 12-week sell-out run in Stratford-upon-Avon and is booking until May 2014.

Also joining the West End production will be Mike Denman, Juliet Gough, Antony Lawrence, Katie Lee, Antonio Magro, Gary Murphy, David Rudin, Hollie Taylor and Amy Thornton. They will join existing ensemble Fabian Aloise, Joseph Davenport, Lara Denning, Hayley Flaherty, Madeleine Harland, Joshua Lay and Tommy Sherlock.

The musical is written by Dennis Kelly, with music and lyrics by Tim Minchin.


In other casting news, the full company has been announced for the world premiere of To Sir With Love, which opens in Northampton on 6 September 2013.

Joining Olivier Award winner Matthew Kelly (Florian) will be Mykola Allen (Denham), Harriet Ballard (Monica), Peta Cornish (Gillian), Kerron Darby (Seales), Ansu Kabia (Ricky), Paul Kemp (Weston), Heather Nicol (Pamela) and Nicola Reynolds (Clinty).

To Sir With Love was written by E R Braithwaite in 1959 and was made into a film starring Sidney Poitier in 1967.

It tells the story of Ricky Braithwaite, an ex-RAF fighter pilot and Cambridge graduate who arrives in London in 1948, exploring issues of racism in post-war Britain, as he fails to find a job despite a first class degree.

This new stage adaption is produced by Touring Consortium Theatre Company and Royal & Derngate Northampton.

It opens in Northampton (6-28 September) before visiting: Cardiff (1-5 October), Cheltenham (8-12 October), Nottingham (15-19 October), Wolverhampton (22-26 October), Edinburgh (29 October – 2 November), Bradford (5-9 November), Darlington (12-16 November), Oxford (19-23 November) and Dartford (26-30 November).

– Louise Miles