Matilda the Musical at Bristol Hippodrome | Fun Facts
Posted on: 13 Jan 2026The Royal Shakespeare Company’s Matilda The Musical will return to Bristol this June!
GET YOUR TICKETS HERE!!!
The multi-award winning show had its world premiere at the RSC’s home in Stratford-upon-Avon in November 2010, before transferring to London’s West End in October 2011 where it continues to play today.
To celebrate the launch of Matilda The Musical in Bristol, here are a few fun facts and figures you might not know about the West End and Broadway phenomenon.
1) Since its premiere, Matilda The Musical has been seen by over 12 million people
2) Matilda The Musical has won over 85 major awards (including 15 for Best Musical)
3) The show has played 60+ cities across the UK, North America, Australia and New Zealand.
4) Matilda The Musical will have its official Asian premiere at the LG Arts Centre in Seoul, South Korea from September 2018 until February 2019.
5) At 4ft 4in tall, Matilda Wormwood is the smallest leading lady in a musical
6) The sound effect of the Crunchem Hall School bell played at the start of the production is a recording of the actual hand bell used by RSC front of house staff in Stratford-upon-Avon.
7) The production uses 8,320 balloons a year and 105 metres of balloon elastic.
8) The Blackboard moves 15.5 miles over the course of a year at a top speed of 1.5mph. It would take just over 2 and half days to travel from the Cambridge Theatre in London to the production’s original home of Stratford-upon-Avon.
9) There are 3,780 paper aeroplanes flown into the auditorium each year. Each one is a written school report
10) Miss Honey and Matilda enjoy cup of real hot tea on stage complete with milk and a biscuit at each performance during the song: ‘My House’.
11) The production gets through over 100 tubs of chocolate spread each year.
12) All voice over commentary used in the production is voiced by the musical’s writer Dennis Kelly.
13) The Crunchem Hall School badge that features on the children’s blazers is designed by Quentin Blake.
14) Around 28,000 pieces of confetti are used per performance which equates to approximately 60 million since the show opened in the West End
15) Matilda The Musical is officially the longest playing show at the Cambridge Theatre and is now in the Top 20 longest running musicals in West End history.
Matilda The Musical is written by Dennis Kelly, with music and lyrics by Tim Minchin, and direction by Matthew Warchus. The production is designed by Rob Howell, with choreography by Peter Darling, orchestrations, additional music and musical supervision by Christopher Nightingale, lighting by Hugh Vanstone, sound by Simon Baker and the special effects and illusions are by Paul Kieve.
Make sure to get your tickets quick!!!
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Bristol born and bred despite the name, Brendan has been working in the digital media sector for the last 15 years and advertising for the last 25 years. A wealth of knowledge about the city and more importantly at how to help businesses get as much online exposure as possible. Call Brendan on 07876 735153 or email Brendan@365bristol.com.
