Following a review of new audience research carried out on behalf of the Royal Shakespeare Company’s Matilda The Musical it has been announced 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.
