Minchin and munchkins in musical magic as Matilda scoops 13 awards

Matilda the Musical, scored by Perth-raised musical comedian Tim Minchin, hoo­vered up a record 13 Helpmann Awards.

Hoovering up Helpmanns: Tim Minchin arrives with his sister. Picture: James Croucher

It was a homecoming of Minchin proportions, as Matilda the Musical, adapted from Roald Dahl’s magical children’s book and scored by Perth-raised musical comedian Tim Minchin, hoo­vered up a record 13 Helpmann Awards at a glittering ceremony in Sydney last night.

There’s often simmering resentment among local performers and creatives when well-resourced international musicals, imported from either Broadway or the West End but populated with local performers, scoop the nation’s annual live entertainment awards.

That resentment was dulled last night by the presence of a homegrown talent who has done exceedingly well and the gaggle of local actors who so expertly inhabited the roles.

Minchin won the award for best original score and eight pint-sized Matildas, who shared the part of the bookish girl in Sydney and Melbourne seasons, shared best actress in a musical award.

James Millar scooped best actor in a musical role for playing Miss Trunchbull, even though the role is notionally female.

Supporting actor kudos went to Daniel Frederiksen and Elise McCann, while Minchin’s colleagues from the Royal Shakespeare Company took trophies for best musical, best musical direction, best direction and five other categories.

The ceremony, broadcast on Foxtel and attended by Arts Minister Mitch Fifield and Labor arts spokesman Tony Bourke, was at the Lyric Theatre at Star casino.

Controversially, the best opera award for a second successive year went to a production staged by Brisbane’s Baroque festival.

Handel’s Agrippina was a touring show sourced from Grottingen Handel Festival staged in the Queensland capital in April and, in addition to the best opera award, three performers took trophies for their work.

The Australian understands the producers have not paid the winning performers or their colleagues for their work and the firm behind Brisbane ­Baroque is mired in financial woes.

Helpmann organiser, peak producer group Live Performance Australia, said it was not in a position to evaluate the morality of presenting the award to producers who had failed to pay performers. LPA chairman Andrew Kay said: “It’s obviously incredibly unfortunate if they haven’t been paid but at the moment it’s hearsay so we have no basis on which not to award the award.”

Brisbane Baroque executive director Jarrod Carland did not answer calls yesterday.