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Charlie and the Chocolate Factory at the Theatre Royal London Review

CharlieChocolateFactory1Charlie and the
Chocolate Factory
Theatre Royal, London

Booking until 4 July 2016

www.charlieandthechocolatefactory.com

Reviewed by Emma Rogers

“Come with me and you’ll be in a world of pure imagination”

The third year of the musical hit Charlie and the Chocolate Factory in London’s Theatre Royal doesn’t disappoint, whether you are there with your children, or there to relive your own childhood. The show stays fairly loyal to the Roald Dahl book, with smatterings from each of the film adaptations but the stage production provides lavish imagination evoking scenes which most adults watch in awe.

The first act opens with an introduction to Charlie Bucket; a down on his heel boy who lives with his parents and both sets of grandparents who famously haven’t got out of bed for 40 years. The family are so poor after the father loses his job in the toothpaste factory that Charlie spends his spare time on the rubbish dump, finding presents for his family. As each ticket is discovered and reported on by a cheesy news anchor, we meet each of the other four children; Augustus Gloop, Violet Beauregarde, Veruca Salt and Mike Teavee. Yes they are faithful to their descriptions in the book and yes, they are just as disgusting and vile in person.

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The sets are changed with each scene, and it is striking to see how each set out shines the previous, with elaborate designs, clever lighting and interspersed with pre-recorded clips which being the book to life. We are introduced to the Chocolate Factory in the first half of the show where the scene starts with all the children in chairs. Watch out for the brilliantly choreographed routines which utilise both the children and adult actors, and all synchronised to put on a fantastic display of the story.

As the second half progresses, you end up asking yourself more times, “how did they do that? How do they get the Oompah Loompahs like that? And the squirrels? And Violet turning into a blueberry?” The children around me were clearly not thinking about such puzzles because every one of them was raptured with what was going on on stage. The expressions on the faces of each of the actors also brought the musical numbers more to life as they were all really into the parts. Not a weak link amongst them, especially Charlie Bucket, who is played, as are all the children’s parts, by a different actor every night.

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I won’t spoil the ending for you, but I was left agog with the final scene and happily, there’s nothing dark about it or any part of the play like there is in the two films. If you’re looking for a sing-along based on the film, then there isn’t much there as it appears to be a different (but in my opinion better arrangement of music), but all of Willy Wonka’s nuances and nonsensical lines are there, and the dear humble ways of Charlie Bucket, who steals everyone’s heart. There are of course, a few adult lines in there too, and if you’re like me, you’ll marvel at the special effects and behind the scenes work that’s gone into it.

I thoroughly enjoyed the evening – a balance between nostalgia and humour with the moral of a tale about greed in the adult world. I came out thinking that anything is possible. That alone makes the evening worthwhile.

Rating: 5/5 thumbs_up

Tickets cost from £18.50 (booking fees may apply).

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane in London’s West End until July 2016. For more information or to book tickets click here or call the box office on 0844 8588877.

Theatre Royal Drury Lane, Catherine Street, London, WC2B 5JF | 0844 8588877

5Star

About the show:
ROALD DAHL’s deliciously dark tale of young Charlie Bucket and the mysterious confectioner Willy Wonka comes to life in a brand new West End musical directed by Academy Award® winner Sam Mendes.

When Charlie wins a golden ticket to the weird and wonderful Wonka Chocolate Factory, it’s the chance of a lifetime to feast on the sweets he’s always dreamed of. But beyond the gates astonishment awaits, as down the sugary corridors and amongst the incredible edible delights, the five lucky winners discover not everything is as sweet as it seems.

A chocolate garden, an army of squirrels and the curiously peculiar Oompa-Loompas must be believed to be seen in this gigantic new musical that is choc-full of fantastical treats to dazzle your senses.

Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory has quickly become one of the West End’s most popular and successful stage musicals. It won two Olivier awards in April 2014, and has broken records at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane, where it has been seen by over 1,400,000 people since it opened in June 2013. It is currently taking bookings until 4 June 2016.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is directed by Sam Mendes. Featuring ingenious stagecraft, the wonder of the original story that has captivated the world for almost 50 years is brought to life with music by Marc Shaiman, and lyrics by Scott Wittman and Marc Shaiman (Grammy® winners for Hairspray; Smash), a book by award-winning playwright and adaptor David Greig (The Bacchae; Tintin In Tibet), set and costume designs by Mark Thompson (Mamma Mia!; One Man, Two Guvnors) and choreography by Peter Darling (Billy Elliot The Musical; Matilda The Musical).

The Official Cast Recording album is available on Sony Records, on CD and download.
This world premiere musical is produced by Warner Bros. Theatre Ventures, Neal Street Productions and Langley Park Productions.

Full cast: Jonathan Slinger, Barry James, Ross Dawes, Josefina Gabrielle, Jasna Ivir, Paul J. Medford, Lara Denning, Derek Hagen, Roni Page, Myra Sands, Kraig Thornber, Joe Allen, Meg Astin, Joel Baylis, Andy Brady, Simon Campbell, Georgia Carling, Andrew Carthy, Collette Coleman, Dan Cooke, Divine Cresswell, Billy Cullum, Connor Dowling, Kelly Edwards, Gemma Fuller, Kate Graham, Sam Lathwood, Lucinda Lawrence, Mark Oxtoby, Matthew Rowland, Rebecca Seale, Steven Serlin, Gregory Sims, Robert Tregoning, Tara Verloop, Michelle White, Mark Williamson.

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