Agency, power, and the inner child

Freshwater’s analysis of childhood agency in Matilda the Musical highlights the prevalence of the concept of the inner child in contemporary self-help literature and interrogates the way in which the production has been designed to appeal to “crossover” adult audiences through its invocation of the “inner child.” The chapter analyzes how the literary tradition of child as redeemer is reconfigured in the musical, and reflects upon “childness” as a performative, theatrical tradition. It presents a reconsideration of Matilda’s role in the show, drawing upon analysis of audience response, the casting and promotion of the production, and the media’s approach to the children who have performed in it.