Hi to all the Guardian readers / fans of Tim Minchin out there!
Yes, there are quite a few Tim Minchin blog-posts with lots of information on this site, since I was one of the first skeptic podcasters to interview him (for the TANK Vodcast, back in 2008).
After that, we had a four-part lengthy video interview, which you can see thanks to the Skeptic Zone podcast and Stefan Sojka -- which was done during the most recent tour:
Don’t forget, the “Are You Ready For This” Tour returns to Australia later this year, after doing Amazing Meeting London (where Tim Minchin will be presenting with the likes of podcaster George Hrab -- another skeptical musician/comedian).
In the meantime, the Guardian article reveals some of the news about his musical project -- Matilda!
“I write music for theatre and I’m an actor, and comedy is what I’m doing at the moment,” he says. “But I want to have a long and varied career.”
The likelihood of that increased recently, with a summons from the Royal Shakespeare Company to write a musical version of Roald Dahl‘s novel Matilda, about a rebellious little girl with psychokinetic powers. At first, Minchin thought this was a joke: a decade previously, he had failed to secure the rights for a children’s theatre production of the novel in Perth. “It’s the only time I’ve ever got off my arse and thought, ‘That should be a musical.’”
You can see the attraction – and why the RSC thought Minchin was the man for the job… Minchin has been developing the production with Matthew Warchus, director of West End shows Art and The Lord of the Rings. “The whole system is brilliant,” says Minchin. “This is the level I want to work at – with people who go: ‘No, it’s not good enough, Tim.’ It’s so invigorating. This is the most important thing I’ve ever done.”
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
To get linked to by a major newspaper website means you have to be doing something right, Kylie. Well done.
I like the Guardian – they’ve linked to me before, thanks to Dr Ben Goldacre!
This blog has been described by Dr Ben Goldacre in the Guardian as one of four blogs that, compared to mainstream media coverage of Dore, “win on timeliness, accuracy, relevance, effort, ethics, and stupid names”.
Matilda was one of the very few Roald Dahl stories where the movie adaptation was actually rather good. Most of his books were completely tortured by the corresponding adaptations (*cough* witches *cough*).
Tim Minchin isn’t my style as a performer, but I acknowledge his talent.
Brilliant, love him. Looking forward to him touring in December and I hope taht the RSC giving him the nod means that Australia gets off its arse and gives it a go.
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