Mary Page Marlowe and the multiverse of Matilda's
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| By
Sian McBride
Forget Marvel, there’s a new MCU in town. The Matilda Cinemative Universe.
The Old Vic is about to throw us headfirst into a kaleidoscopic life story, and a bit of a Matilda the Musical reunion, with the UK premiere of Tracy Letts’ Mary Page Marlowe. Directed by the theatre’s own Artistic Director Matthew Warchus, the show runs 23 September to 1 November and packs 70 years of one woman’s life into just 90 minutes, with five different actors playing Mary Page herself.
It’s a stellar cast list. Alongside the already-announced Susan Sarandon and Andrea Riseborough, we’ll see Daniella Arthur-Kennedy (Lorna), Eden Epstein (Roberta Marlowe), Clare Hughes (Wendy Gilbert), Gilbert Kyem Jnr (Ben), Melanie La Barrie (Nurse), Rosy McEwen (Mary Page Marlowe), Kingsley Morton (Connie), Hugh Quarshie (Andy), Ronan Raftery (Dan), Paul Thornley (Ray), Lauren Ward (Shrink), Noah Weatherby (Ed Marlowe), Alisha Weir (Mary Page Marlowe), and Eleanor Worthington-Cox (Mary Page Marlowe). Young Louis will be tag-teamed by Felix Anderson, Griffin Ashton, and Dexter Pulling.
But here’s where the Matilda magic comes in: Lauren Ward, Melanie La Barrie, and Eleanor Worthington-Cox were all part of the original West End cast of Matilda the Musical, which, fun fact, was also directed by Warchus. On top of that, Andrea Riseborough, Griffin Ashton, and Alisha Weir popped up in Warchus’ film version of Matilda back in 2022. Ashton also has a Matilda stage credit.
Behind the scenes, the creative team is comprised by Rob Howell (set and costume design), Hugh Vanstone (lighting), Simon Baker (sound), Penny Dyer (dialect coach), and Charlie Hughes D’Aeth (voice work). The associate crew includes Lilac Yosiphon (director), Emma Laxton (sound), Lucy Gaiger (costume), and Campbell Young Associates (wigs, hair, and make-up).
So whether you’re here for the epic life-spanning drama of Mary Page Marlowe or the unexpected Matilda crossover event, this Old Vic production is shaping up to be a time-hopping, multi-actor, full-circle theatrical treat.