Tony Award Winner Matthew Warchus Will Helm Musical Adaptation of Roald Dahl's Matilda

Tony Award winner Matthew Warchus, who helmed the recent child-rearing hit God of Carnage, is set to direct another story about parents and children--though this one will appropriate for kids. The Royal Shakespeare Company has announced it will adapt the late Roald Dahl's beloved novella Matilda into a musical, set to open at Courtyard Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon with direction by Warchus, music and lyrics by Australian comedian Tim Minchin and a book by Dennis Kelly. No casting for the show, which will debut in time for Christmas 2010, has been announced at this time.

Welsh author Dahl penned dozens of books for both children and adults over his lifetime, including such page to screen hits as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and James and the Giant Peach. Matilda is Dahl's 1988 tale about a child prodigy who uses superior brain power to battle her unloving parents and a formiddable school principal known as "The Trunchbull." It was adapted for the screen in 1996, featured Danny DeVito and Rhea Perlman as Matilda's detestable parents, Pem Ferris as Agatha Trunchbull and Mara Wilson as the adorable title star.

"We are so proud that Roald's stories continue to be met with such excitement and joy by children all over the world," Dahl's widow, Felicity, expressed in a statement. "With this project, thousands more children will engage wih his magical world yet again."

Warchus has been a regular presence on the Broadway scene recently, having won the 2009 Tony Award for Best Direction for God of Carnage. Additional Rialto credits include The Normal Conquests, Boeing-Boeing and Art, all of which earned him Tony Award nominations.

Minchin is best known as a musical comedian, a stand-up artist who delivers his unique slant through song. His break-out show Dark Side was a hit at the 2005 Edinburgh Fringe Festival, and he has since gone on to win numerous international comedy awards. His stage credits include work with the Perth Theatre Company and the Australian Shakespeare Company, and he can be heard on the albums for So Rock, Tim Minchin and Friends and Ready for This?.