It tells the story of the eponymous little girl, who, armed with a vivid imagination and a sharp mind, dares to stand up for herself against bullies, her cruel parents and awful headmistress, changing her own destiny along the way.

Dahl, whose many classics include Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and James and the Giant Peach, has had his books translated into 58 languages, with many being adapted for stage and screen - in some cases more than once.

After Dahl's novelMatildawas published in 1988, a popular film starring Danny DeVito and Pam Ferris followed in 1996.

With scripts written by Dennis Kelly and original songs by Tim Minchin,Matildahas won over 85 international awards, including Tony Awards for best musical and best original score.

"Before we came to China, we had a strong sense that the Chinese audience would connect with the story. It has been surprising just how real that connection is," says producer Paul Warwick Griffin of GWB Entertainment, the company that stages the show around the world.

Griffin's professional involvement with China dates back to about two decades, when British musical composer Andrew Lloyd Webber's award-winning musical, Cats, first came to China in 2003 with shows in Shanghai and Beijing. As a member of the production team, he was impressed by the growth and explosion of the Chinese musical theater scene.

He notes that he was particularly impressed by the audiences whenMatildawas staged in Hefei, Anhui province. Toward the end of the evening, when the titular character speaks fluently in another language, "it's thrilling to see the reaction of the audience. They seemed to celebrate the night, the story,Matilda's triumph, and the young actress playing the role ofMatildathe whole night", the producer adds.

The audiences, many of them young people, have shown great passion for the musical.

Yang Yue, a 25-year-old die-hard musical fan was another one of the enthralled audience members who watchedMatildain Beijing on Nov 21.

Yang says: "My favorite scenes were the performances of the songs, School Song and Revolting Children. Clever use of words and phonetics make up the lyrics and all were set to fast-paced choreography, which was captivating.

"The little girl mirrors what's lacking in the adult world, such as being brave and real.

"The characters are so vivid, such as the school's mean headmistress, Miss Trunchbull, andMatilda's teacher, Miss Honey, who recognizes her genius and encourages her."

According to He Lei, executive producer of Chinese theatrical adaptation company Seven Ages, negotiations to bringMatildato China started five years ago.

He, who was born in Haimen city, Jiangsu province, obtained her bachelor's degree of English literature from Peking University in 2008 and studied at the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. After returning to Shanghai, she joined Seven Ages in 2016.

He, who watchedMatilda20 times, recalls: "I first watched the musical,Matilda, in 2014 in London and fell in love with it immediately. It was a highlight among the many musical productions that I have watched around the world."

The international tour company includes a cast made up of both children and adults.

To make the China tour happen, the translation of the lyrics took more than six months to complete, and even more time was spent re-engineering the stage sets.

Griffin says: "Though I cannot understand Chinese, I can see the brilliance of the translation by watching the audience. They respond exactly the way they should, at exactly the right time. They get the jokes."

Griffin recalls seeingMatildafor the first time at its London premiere in 2010, describing it as "the best version of everything".

"I worked with the same creative team on another musical, Ghost, which was right beforeMatildaopened. The clever and intricate details ofMatilda, combined with love and laughter, offer something for everyone," Griffin says.

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