In Roald Dahl’s centenary year and after five years on the West End stage Matilda, adapted by the Royal Shakespeare Company, is still a delight for audiences young and old. The universal message of finding a better life through the power of imagination and storytelling is relatable and inspiring to girls and boys of all ages.

As I found my seat at the Cambridge Theatre, I felt in awe before the show had even begun as the stage was decorated with a scattering of brightly coloured books that were stuck to the walls to show that reading was going to play a central theme throughout.

Having grown up reading the novel and also endlessly watching the 1996 movie version starring Danny DeVito and Mara Wilson, it was hard not to have high expectations of what the show would deliver - particularly from the iconic villain, Miss Trunchball, who was portrayed brilliantly on screen by Pam Ferris.

However, Craige Els was outstanding as the children-hating headteacher. He had the audience in stitches from the moment he appeared on stage with hair scraped back into a tight bun and in desperate need of a bra, as his fake, strapped-on boobs drooped almost to his waist.

Miss Trunchball was repulsed by the children and revelled in threatening them with the dreaded chamber of punishment, otherwise known as The Chokey. A memorable scene involved the blonde pigged-tail Amanda (Ellie Dadd) who was spun round by the head and then thrown in the air after displeasing the tyrant. The audience gasped as she disappeared and then seemed to fall from the ceiling, before running back on stage with a huge grin and waving to show she wasn’t going to be defeated by the cruel principal.

The children were fearless and extremely confident throughout, as they effortlessly made their way through the high energy choreography and endless songs, which were written by comedian Tim Minchin and fit well with the plot. Emily May Stevenson, who played Matilda, was particularly impressive as she flawlessly delivered several monologues, as well as many solo songs and even spoke different languages to show just how intelligent the heroine was, despite her family’s disgust at having a daughter who preferred literature over mindless television.

Her father, who was played by Michael Begley, was exaggerated and given an over the top cockney accent, as he thought himself to be a terrific businessman but by the end was on the run from the Russian Mafia.

Matilda was the voice of morality throughout, as she argued with her father and constantly told him what he was doing wasn’t right, but this caused her family to push her further away and she delved deeper into her books as a result.

She also spent a great deal of time in the library during the show, as there was a new plotline added as her imagination dreamt up a sorrowful love story between an escapologist and an acrobat that she told to the fascinated library assistant, Mrs Phelps. The escapologist and the acrobat were doomed in their love but there was a twist, as they turned out to be Miss Honey’s parents, which was meant to show the fate of Matilda and her teacher was written in the stars.

The only part of the play that felt a little underwhelming and didn’t seem to have been explored enough was Matilda’s ability to move objects with her mind. There was no lead up to her developing her powers and no hint throughout that she was able to move glasses of water and write on chalkboards without moving her hands. She just suddenly developed her telekinetic skills and unless you had seen the film and knew the plot very well, it may have seemed out of place with the rest of show.

Overall, the show was not a disappointment and will have sparked a new generation of young fans to develop a lifelong enjoyment of Roald Dahl’s timeless stories.

Matilda, Cambridge Theatre, Earlham Street, Covent Garden, WC2H 9HU, until May 28, 2017, 7.30pm. Details: matildathemusical.com