”Matilda” musical movie – all the stagey cameos to spot in the film

We’ve done a veritable wealth of articles about the cast for the new Matilda movie (based on the still-running stage musical by Tim Minchin and Dennis Kelly, directed by Matthew Warchus), currently set to open in cinemas in the UK later this month.

But did you know there are some fun cameos in the film (largely courtesy to the ensemble casting director Will Burton, who also casts the West End show).

So here’s where to start: Matt Henry plays the miracle-ruminating Doctor in the opening of the film, while Angels in America‘s titular angel Amanda Lawrence plays the Cook, with Katherine Kingsley (Dusty) as the Acrobat’s stepsister. Karen Mavundukure (The Color Purple) also plays the Midwife, while Annie Firbank (Blood Wedding at the Young Vic) is an “elderly teacher”.

Also in the cast is Kirsty Malpass (who notably was in the ensemble for Minchin and Warchus’ Groundhog Day musical) as the Nurse, while Thomas Arnold (A Very Expensive Poison at the Old Vic, where Warchus is artistic director) plays the Circus Owner.

Now this is where the fun for the eagle-eyed theatre fans really begins. The film opens with a huge ensemble for the hit number “Miracle” featuring a wealth of stage performers currently or recently in well-known productions.

These include some former cast members – Lauren Ward, who originated the role of Miss Honey, makes an appearance, as does Gina Beck (currently on stage in South Pacific) and Miria Parvin, who both played the role in the West End.

We’re going to rattle off some more names that we recognised from the rather major list of “Miracle Ensemble” cast members, including Adrian Hansel (Guys and Dolls), Joel Harper-Jackson (Cock), Craig Mather (Les Misérables), Billy Cullum (Leave to Remain), John Dagleish (Sunny Afternoon), Frances McNamee (Girl from the North Country), Isaac Gryn (Bugsy Malone), Idriss Kargbo (Wicked), Rosie Fletcher (High Fidelity), Jenny O’Leary (We Will Rock You), Chihiro Kawasaki (Gecko’s Time of Your Life), Julie Yammanee (Spamilton), Emily Tierney (Identical), Andrew Langtree (Adrian Mole), Eugene McCoy (Legally Blonde), Jack Shalloo (another Groundhog Day alum), Vicki Lee Taylor (Heathers), Divine Cresswell (Miss Saigon), Maria Omakinwa (Sylvia) and probably dozens more we didn’t have time to spot – if you know of more please message us!

The Matilda movie is being released next Friday in the UK and Ireland, with a cast led by Alisha Weir, Emma Thompson, Lashana Lynch and more.