HIT family show Matilda The Musical is coming to Bradford’s Alhambra Theatre – the only Yorkshire date on its first UK tour.

Based on the much-loved Roald Dahl children’s book, the Royal Shakespeare Company production has won more than 85 international awards.

It 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 award for the four girls sharing the title role on Broadway.

The show, which has music and lyrics by comedian, writer and musician Tim Minchin, is about a clever young girl called Matilda, whose love of books is mocked by her brash, heartless parents.

The youngster uses her gift of telekinesis to overcome obstacles caused by her parents and formidable Miss Trunchbull, child-hating headmistress of Matilda’s school, and she helps her kind teacher, Miss Honey, reclaim her life.

The show was adapted by film, TV and theatre writer Dennis Kelly, who co-wrote BBC3 sitcom Pulling and Channel 4 conspiracy thriller Utopia.

He said: “With Dahl’s story, we had this incredible background, rich with colour. In bringing it to the stage we had to make it our own. It was an amazing challenge. We brought in a storytelling device so that, instead of just consuming stories, Matilda tells them.

“It’s a show about irreverence and taking matters into your own hands – and about girls taking control.”

Matilda The Musical premiered at the RSC’s Stratford-upon-Avon home in 2010, before transferring to London’s West End in 2011, where it opened to rave reviews.

The West End production is in its seventh year at London’s Cambridge Theatre. The show will have its first non-English language production in Seoul, South Korea, from September.

Casting has yet to be announced for the 2019 tour.

On tour, Matilda The Musical will be accompanied by Change My Story, an RSC education programme aimed at building long-term partnerships between schools and theatres.

There will be up to 50 Matilda The Musical Champion Schools, which will work with RSC artists in residence to stage and perform a special 45 minute edit of Matilda The Musical as their school play.

The RSC will also work with some local schools to lead a new creative projects.

All pictures by Manuel Harlan.

• Matilda The Musical is at the Alhambra from February 19 to March 23, 2019.

Visit bradford-theatres.co.uk or call 01274 432000 to book tickets.