Character guide
Miss Trunchbull
from Matilda the Musical
Miss Trunchbull is the tyrannical headmistress of Crunchem Hall in Matilda the Musical, one of the most memorable villains in modern musical theatre.
- Show
- Matilda the Musical
- Broadway premiere
- 2013
- Role
- Lead
- Music by
- Tim Minchin
Miss Trunchbull on stage vs screen
Broadway compared with the 1996 film and 2022 movie musical
Miss Trunchbull has conventionally been played by men on stage, and the 2022 movie nearly followed suit: Ralph Fiennes was reported cast in 2020 before Emma Thompson took the role in 2021. Bertie Carvel originated Trunchbull for the Royal Shakespeare Company, won the Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Musical in London, and repeated the role on Broadway in 2013, earning a Tony nomination.
In Danny DeVito's non-musical 1996 film, Pam Ferris plays Agatha Trunchbull as the principal of Crunchem Hall Elementary School and Miss Honey's step-aunt. The musical and its film version give Trunchbull her own numbers, The Hammer and The Smell of Rebellion, and in the 2022 movie she even builds new Chokeys for every child in the school.
Who is Miss Trunchbull?
Miss Trunchbull rules her school through intimidation, punishment, and a deep suspicion of children in general. She is loud, physically imposing, and utterly convinced that kids are a nuisance to be controlled rather than nurtured, which puts her directly at odds with Matilda's curiosity and quiet defiance.
Her larger-than-life cruelty gives the musical its comic villainy and its stakes. She is exaggerated almost to the point of caricature, which lets the show poke fun at authoritarian adults while still making her genuinely intimidating to the children she terrorizes on stage.
Playing Miss Trunchbull on stage
Trunchbull is a lead role in terms of stage presence and importance to the plot, even though she is not the title character. The part is traditionally played by a performer, often a man in drag-style casting, with a booming voice and big physical comedy skills, since Trunchbull's humor comes as much from movement and posture as from her lines.
It is a showcase role for actors who love broad, theatrical villainy. Audiences delight in her because she is so wonderfully awful: a cartoonish menace that makes Matilda's small acts of rebellion feel triumphant.
Miss Trunchbull: frequently asked questions
What show is Miss Trunchbull from?
Miss Trunchbull is a character in Matilda the Musical, which opened in 2013 with music and lyrics by Tim Minchin.
Is Miss Trunchbull a lead or supporting role?
Miss Trunchbull is considered a lead role given her prominence in the story, even though Matilda is the title character.
Who wrote the music for Matilda the Musical?
Tim Minchin composed the music and lyrics for the show.
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