WEST End smash hit Matilda The Musical will spend a month in Southampton in the summer of 2019.

The show, which has won 85 international awards, including 16 for Best Musical, will embark on its first ever UK and Ireland tour, visiting Mayflower Theatre from June 11 to July 6 next year.

Inspired by Roald Dahl’s book, Matilda The Musical was commissioned by the Royal Shakespeare Company and premiered at the RSC’s The Courtyard Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon in 2010, before transferring to London’s West End in 2011.

The story centres on Matilda, a precocious young girl with special gifts who loves reading, overcomes obstacles caused by her family and school, and helps her teacher to reclaim her life.

Writer Dennis Kelly said: “I was the wrong generation for Matilda really, I was probably a teenager when it came out. So I had to go back and read it, then I put it down and I knew all the things that had to be in the script would stay with me.

"Taking me on, and then Tim Minchin as composer, was risky, almost irresponsible, but it appears to have worked.

“Dahl’s writing turns on a sixpence from humour to darkness and I loved working on it. We didn’t know if we were onto something until our first preview in Stratford. When Naughty (the finale song) finished and the audience were in raptures.”

Matilda The Musical has now been seen by more than 7.7 million people worldwide, running on Broadway since 2013.

Having won all 13 Helpmann Awards for which it was nominated, the show will have its first non-English language production at the LG Arts Centre in Seoul, South Korea from September 2018 until February 2019.

Casting for the show,which has music and lyrics by celebrated comic Tim Minchin, will be announced soon.

Tickets are on sale Tuesday 10 April at 8am in person at the venue or 10am online and via telephone

It runs from Tuesday 11 June to Saturday 6 July 2019

Tickets: 023 8071 1811 or mayflower.org.uk.