Danny DeVito brings ‘Matilda’ back to life with S.F. Symphony

Danny DeVito did not need psychokinetic powers to make “Matilda” come alive again.

Thirty years after directing and starring in the 1996 Roald Dahl adaptation, he took to the stage at Davies Symphony Hall on Saturday, July 25, with guest composer David Newman for the first of two special screenings with the San Francisco Symphony. As the orchestra performed Newman’s film score live, DeVito, from a sofa beside the conductor, narrated the tale of a gifted girl who develops telekinesis to fight her tyrannical headmistress. 

The actor wore a red shirt, gold tie and tan suit for the first half of the movie evoking the wardrobe of his character Harry Wormwood, Matilda’s neglectful father. He swapped the red for turquoise in the second half to reference another pivotal scene. Most importantly, he donned a fedora identical to the one Matilda uses to get revenge on her father. 

But at 81, not only did he look the part, his voice still sounded the part too, with narration just as animated and true to his character as it had been three decades ago.

For Sarah McLean, 26, DeVito was entertaining even when he wasn’t speaking. She said she especially enjoyed watching the actor trying to suppress his reactions to the movie.

“His little chuckles and him trying really hard not to laugh into the mic just makes it all better,” McLean told The Chronicle during intermission.

McLean, a middle school teacher, had come to the concert with a group of fellow teachers from Sonoma. They’d planned the trip in March to work around their summer schedules and had even booked a one-night stay at a nearby hotel. 

Seeing the film from an educator’s perspective, McLean said it helped her understand the headmistress, Miss Trunchbull, to a certain extent. But she still rooted for the children, just like she had when she first saw the movie years ago. 

“I feel like a kid again,” McLean said. “I’ve always loved the music, so to hear it in person, it definitely brings it alive.”

DeVito and Newman discussed their nearly 40-year partnership in a 30-minute Q&A session before Saturday’s concert. The two walked onstage to a standing ovation that grew louder when DeVito moved his jacket to reveal a black Symphony T-shirt.

Newman, who has scored numerous children’s classics “Anastasia” (1997) and “The Sandlot” (1993), has worked on all five films DeVito has directed, beginning with “Throw Momma from the Train” (1987). 

“Danny fought for me,” Newman recalled. “It wasn’t an easy thing to get me on that movie, so I’ll forever be grateful for that.”

In the second half of the Q&A, young audience members lined up in front of the stage to ask DeVito and Newman questions. Many wondered if scenes in the movie were real. 

Was it hard for you to act like a bad person toward Matilda? Did you actually get your hair pulled off after Matilda filled your hat with glue? 

“Nothing hurt me really in the movie,” DeVito reassured fans. “It was all makeup and magic and make-believe.”

When asked whether it was difficult to direct and act in the film at the same time, DeVito initially responded with his signature humor: “I fell in love with myself,” he joked. 

But he soon turned serious to reflect on the film’s theme, telling audience members they could take on any role or challenge. 

“That’s what I think Roald Dahl is trying to say,” DeVito said. “That inside of us, we all have that power to be good, or be helpful, or be kind, or be gentle, or be loving, or make a difference in the world.”

The message was the same reason 10-year-old Fiona Sheridan of San Francisco said she enjoys the movie even after seeing it “more (times) than I can count.” 

“I like the film because it’s so fun, and it teaches a good lesson about how to stand up for yourself and to be who you are,” she said.

Fiona asked DeVito the final question during Saturday’s Q&A: “How come Matilda gets to watch more TV than me and a lot of other kids?” 

The actor responded, “Her father is really, you know, not a good guy.” 

“Stay away from the screen,” DeVito concluded before walking offstage to another standing ovation. “Read more books!”