The Royal Shakespeare Company's MATILDA THE MUSICAL Will Move To Earlier Weekday Start Time From September 2018

Following a review of new audience research carried out on behalf of the Royal Shakespeare Company's Matilda the Musical it is announced today that from 12 September all evening weekday performances of the award-winning musical will begin at 7pm (Tuesday-Friday).

The survey found that the majority of London theatre-bookers surveyed gave several reasons for a preferred earlier start time for a night at the theatre, including:

There would be more time to socialise after the show rather than rush home, allowing theatregoers to make the most of London's vibrant bar and restaurant scene.

For those who commute to London, it can be stressful to see a West End show if they are worried about missing their last train home.

Parents said it would be easier to arrange a night out without their children if they could get home earlier and not worry about keeping a babysitter waiting up too late.

Matilda The Musical has now been seen by 8 million people worldwide, having toured to 64 cities and played more than 5800 performances in the West End, on Broadway and on tour across North America, the UK, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. Matilda the Musical will have its first non-English language production at the LG Arts Centre in Seoul, South Korea from September 2018.

Winner of over 85 international awards, including 16 for Best Musical, Matilda the Musical UK and Ireland Tour is running alongside the ongoing West End production which is now playing its seventh year in London. The tour began performances in March at Leicester Curve and is currently playing at Sunderland Empire Theatre until 2 June. The show will also play Milton Keynes Theatre, Birmingham Hippodrome, Manchester, Cardiff Wales Millennium Centre, Theatre Royal Plymouth, the Alhambra Theatre, Bradford, Edinburgh Playhouse, The Bristol Hippodrome, Mayflower Theatre, Southampton and Norwich Theatre Royal.

Inspired by the incomparable Roald Dahl's beloved book, Matilda the Musical was commissioned by the Royal Shakespeare Company and premiered at the RSC's Stratford-upon-Avon home in November 2010, before transferring to London's West End in October 2011, where it opened to rave reviews. The New York production of Matilda the Musical opened in April 2013 at Broadway's Shubert Theatre and was celebrated on 10 "Top Ten" lists for 2013, including TIME Magazine's #1 Show of the Year.

Matilda The Musical swept the board at the 2012 Olivier Awards, with a record-breaking seven awards, and won four Tony Awards and a Tony Honor for Excellence in the Theater for the four girls sharing the title role on Broadway. The North America production toured 52 cities. The Australian and New Zealand production won a Sydney Theatre Award for Best Musical in 2015, and played sold-out seasons in Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide and Auckland. The show broke further records in July 2016 by winning all 13 Helpmann Awards for which it was nominated.

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.

Matilda The Musical is produced in the West End by the Royal Shakespeare Company with André Ptaszynski and Denise Wood as Executive Producers. The production was developed with the support of Company Dramaturg Jeanie O'Hare and the RSC Literary Department.