THEATER TALK to Feature MATILDA This Weekend

Three contributors to Broadway's newest smash Matilda - composer-lyricist Tim Minchin, librettist Dennis Kelly and actor Bertie Carvel ("Miss Trunchbull"), are the guests on THEATER TALK this week. The program premieres Friday, May 3, 2013 at 1 AM (Saturday morning) on Thirteen/PBS, and repeats in New York City on CUNY TV* Saturday at 8:30 PM, Sunday at 12:30 PM, and Monday at 7:30 AM, 1:30 PM, and 7:30 PM.

Our interview with the Matilda trio (now all 2013 Tony nominees for the show) was recorded the day after it opened to rapturous reviews. "It's hard to take the whole moment in," Tim Minchin tells series co-hosts Michael Riedel and Susan Haskins about the opening night ovations and reviews. Minchin, Carvel and Kelly also speak of their backgrounds and work pre-Matilda. They also discuss the work habits and ethos that led to the musical's success - along with those of the great Roald Dahl who wrote the children's novel that inspired the show. Kelly and Minchin tell of the long workshop process before the show opened in London's West End in October 2011. At first, Kelly admits, "We weren't sure we would have children" in the musical. But now that the show is populated with a large cast of kids, Carvel is firmly on the side of the creators' choice. "[Because] actors are always trying to keep alive their ability for make-believe," he says, "it's a thrill to work with children."

The Matilda team brings to 17 the number of 2012-2013 Tony nominees featured on THEATER TALK this season.

Next week: Harvey Fierstein and Cyndi Lauper on Kinky Boots.

THEATER TALK is the weekly series dedicated to the world of the stage. The series, jointly produced by the not-for-profits Theater Talk Productions and CUNY TV, is taped in the Himan Brown TV and Radio Studios at The City University of New York (CUNY) TV in Manhattan and distributed to 65+ participating public television markets nationwide. THEATER TALK is made possible in part by The New York State Council on the Arts, The New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, The TDF/TAP Plus Program, The CUNY TV Foundation and The Friends of THEATER TALK.