Unsurprising, considering that Matilda is a story about overcoming child abuse. But where previous interpretations lean more heavily into Hilariously Abusive Childhood territory, the musical plays the heartbreaking reality of Matilda's situation straight.
- The story of the Escapologist and the Acrobat is bittersweet when its just Matilda's wish-fulfillment fantasy of parents that would love her, but is made worse when Matilda makes the story darker as she vents her hopelessness and frustration and even Mrs. Phelps suggestions are useless since they rely on people Matilda can't call on.
- And then even WORSE when you realize Its actually just the backstory of Miss Honey. All the suggestions by Mrs. Phelps suddenly become even more useless.
- The Wormwoods are not good people in any version of the story, but in other adaptions she at least has a proper room to sleep in and they're never physically abusive. Here she is made to sleep in the attic and handled roughly whenever her parents think she's done something wrong.
- Everything about Miss Honey. It might be difficult for fans of previous interpretations who grew up with Miss Honey as a calm and angelic authority figure to see her spirit so broken in the musical.
- Understandably, growing up with Miss Trunchbull as a guardian has damaged Miss Honey's psyche. She is absolutely terrified of the Trunchbull, and has a bit of a neurotic, nervous energy even when she isn't around. The only scenes she seems truly happy are when she's with her students, but even that peace is shattered whenever the Trunchbull intervenes. She objects to the abuse of her students but can do nothing to protect them, often on the verge of tears as she's made to watch.
- The ending of the 'When I Grow Up' number is Miss Honey, a grown adult, wishing that she could some day be brave enough to protect herself.
- Her cabin in the books is described as a small but cozy, like something out of a fairytale. Here it is a barely decorated old shack that more accurately reflects her poverty, with her assertions it is cozy being purely her fooling herself. In her song she makes it clear that she is happy to finally be free of Miss Trunchbull, but is clearly still living in fear.
- She is also in full belief that Miss Trunchbull, her boss, someone who she knows works with children, is a murderer. One might wonder why she still works with her abuser, but her warning to Matilda implies she might do so out of fear of what Miss Trunchbull would do to the children without her there to cover for them. Even worse, The whole fact she casually asks some children to check if Amanda is still alive shows she's right.
- The finale, where Miss Honey is able to convince the Wormwoods to let her adopt Matilda. Whilst it is still a triumphant, happy moment, Matilda still chases the car to watch it disappear into the distance. They never slow down or look back once, proving that they truly cared so little that they were willing to abandon her on a whim. As much as she hated them, it is difficult for grown adults to accept that their abusive parents will never change, much less a very young child.
- Even worse there. In most versions of Matilda, there's a casual suggestion that they were arrested before they got far, with the example of them being rushed by the sounds of police sirens in the original movie. No-one is shown to be chasing after the Wormwoods as they flee into the distance.
