“Matilda the Musical,” which opened Friday night as Diamond Head Theatre’s season finale, tackles serious themes — bullying, parental neglect and verbal assaults — with comedic results.

The show, based on a 1988 Roald Dahl novel and a subsequent film drama, features sprightly tunes with exceptional story- and character- driven lyrics by Tim Linchin and a riotous book by Dennis Kelly. It’s customarily set in a British school, Crunchem Hall, whose motto is “Bambinatum est maggitum,” or “Children are maggots.”

The beastly, bullying headmistress is Agatha Trunchbull (Christopher Obenchain in drag in a powerful performance), who maligns and intimidates her students, as well a young teacher.

The heroine is Matilda Wormwood (Caris Leong, in a star-making DHT debut as the titular bookworm in the opening night production, a role she’s alternating with Rockell Kim). Not only does she have ghastly parents who pick on her, Matilda’s dad (Mathias Maas) is a raucous and sleazy used car salesman who repeatedly calls her “boy” because he wanted a second son, not a daughter, while mom (Rache Sapla) neglects her daughter in favor of Latin ballroom dancing.

No wonder Matilda is immersed in novels ; books can take her far away from her smothering daily climate. Matilda finds solace and a soul mate in her teacher, Miss Honey (Malia Munley, initially meek and eventually retaliatory). As her name implies, she brings sweetness into Matilda’s life.

Spoiler alert: Matilda has telekinetic skills, too.

As directed by Bryce Chaddick, this “Matilda” does not adhere to the Brit-based premise of the tale. The setting is not identified and accented speech is absent.

The cast features eight “classmates,” grade-school peers of Matilda, plus six older “big kids.” All the young cast members capably handle the intricate lyrics and choreographer Natalie Uehara’s gymnastic, physical workouts.

While Caris as Matilda holds her own in vocal delivery, a few of the lines delivered by keiki are occasionally lost in ensemble vocals.

Aiko Schick’s makeup and hair for Trunch, as she’s known, combined with Karen G. Wolfe’s costumes, conceal little about a man playing a woman. The costume is upside-down triangular with obvious fake boobs defining a top-heavy torso.

Obenchain exhibits little femininity — Trunch rhymes with crunch, after all — and moves like a tank.

“Matilda” earned seven Olivier Awards in 2012 (the British equivalent of the Broadway’s Tony Awards), including best new musical, followed in 2013 by five Tonys.

DHT’s pair of Matildas, plus Trunch, should garner a bunch of local awards, too — deservedly.