Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Theatre Royal Drury Lane, London
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is certainly worth a family day out, but I can think of a good number of shows that I would choose over this production, (without having to mention any in particular). The structure of the musical is simple. The first act introduces Charlie, the mysterious renowned chocolate maker, Willy Wonka, and the golden ticket winners, before they enter the factory. The second act then consists of the factory tour, during which the undeserving children disappear in strange and elaborate ways.
For the most part the musical basically goes through the motions as it relates the story. It does not expand on the plot or the characters. It is only near the end that the musical interestingly sheds light on Charlie's character, as Willy Wonka puts it he is 'something from nothing'. It is sad therefore that this was not addressed elsewhere.
For the most part the musical basically goes through the motions as it relates the story. It does not expand on the plot or the characters. It is only near the end that the musical interestingly sheds light on Charlie's character, as Willy Wonka puts it he is 'something from nothing'. It is sad therefore that this was not addressed elsewhere.
The other issue is that the songs are unmemorable. The only exception is the well-known Pure Imagination, and hearing the opening notes sent goosebumps down me. The rest are dull, bland, and inaudible to boot. There are some glimpses of potential. The four children in particular have their own songs that display their different personalities. Despite this the musical felt empty of any songs that left you humming along to.
The cast do a fine job playing the characters, but because of the book and songs they have little to work with. Consequently they feel like cardboard cut-outs of the characters we all know. There is sweet little Charlie, dithering old Grandpa Joe (played adequately by Nigel Planner), the greedy Augustus Gloop who makes loud burps a number of times, and the selfish Veruca Salt in a ballerina costume. A disco theme was chosen for Violet Beauregarde in this adaptation, though this is only put to good use in her songs. Mike Teavee is the most violent of all the incarnations I have seen, to the distress of Iris Roberts as Miss Teavee.
I am in two minds about Douglas Hodge as Willy Wonka. At times he portrays a dark side to the character. There is no "twinkle in his eye" when he first appears at the end of the first act, singing a rather chauvinistic It Must be Believed to be Seen. He might as well say "Enter my factory if you dare". In the second act he suddenly becomes the eccentric man I was expecting. In addition, he pulls of a number of wacky acts that did put a smile on my face, such as when he appears in the orchestra pit to conduct the entr'acte. All in all, I prefer Hodge to Johnny Depp, but Gene Wilder knew exactly how he wanted to play the role which I thought Hodge struggled to do.
If there is a reason to see this musical, then it would be for the production values. The musical starts with a animated film, showing how chocolate is made; it was interesting and the animations were drawn by Quentin Blake himself. During the first act the black and white world that Charlie lives in has a Dickensian feel about it. A lot of the act is set in Charlie's house and at times it can feel a bit static. There are some neat projections however, and the announcement of the winners is cleverly shown within a gigantic TV set piece at the back. The factory tour is spectacular and the method employed in the demise of each child is amazing to watch. Only Violet Beauregarde's scene is the least impressive and the climax does not make sense. The Oompa Loompas were nicely done and the Great Glass Elevator was fantastic, though I have seen better effects in musicals like Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and Mary Poppins.
Overall then, if you do go and see this musical you will get what it says on the tin (or wrapper), an adaptation of Roald Dahl's treasured novel. The special effects are amazing and children will not be dissapointed. However I can pick a number of musicals that are currently on in the West End that are of higher quality. I have no need to see this again, and it is only worth a Low Bargain.
The cast do a fine job playing the characters, but because of the book and songs they have little to work with. Consequently they feel like cardboard cut-outs of the characters we all know. There is sweet little Charlie, dithering old Grandpa Joe (played adequately by Nigel Planner), the greedy Augustus Gloop who makes loud burps a number of times, and the selfish Veruca Salt in a ballerina costume. A disco theme was chosen for Violet Beauregarde in this adaptation, though this is only put to good use in her songs. Mike Teavee is the most violent of all the incarnations I have seen, to the distress of Iris Roberts as Miss Teavee.
I am in two minds about Douglas Hodge as Willy Wonka. At times he portrays a dark side to the character. There is no "twinkle in his eye" when he first appears at the end of the first act, singing a rather chauvinistic It Must be Believed to be Seen. He might as well say "Enter my factory if you dare". In the second act he suddenly becomes the eccentric man I was expecting. In addition, he pulls of a number of wacky acts that did put a smile on my face, such as when he appears in the orchestra pit to conduct the entr'acte. All in all, I prefer Hodge to Johnny Depp, but Gene Wilder knew exactly how he wanted to play the role which I thought Hodge struggled to do.
If there is a reason to see this musical, then it would be for the production values. The musical starts with a animated film, showing how chocolate is made; it was interesting and the animations were drawn by Quentin Blake himself. During the first act the black and white world that Charlie lives in has a Dickensian feel about it. A lot of the act is set in Charlie's house and at times it can feel a bit static. There are some neat projections however, and the announcement of the winners is cleverly shown within a gigantic TV set piece at the back. The factory tour is spectacular and the method employed in the demise of each child is amazing to watch. Only Violet Beauregarde's scene is the least impressive and the climax does not make sense. The Oompa Loompas were nicely done and the Great Glass Elevator was fantastic, though I have seen better effects in musicals like Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and Mary Poppins.
Overall then, if you do go and see this musical you will get what it says on the tin (or wrapper), an adaptation of Roald Dahl's treasured novel. The special effects are amazing and children will not be dissapointed. However I can pick a number of musicals that are currently on in the West End that are of higher quality. I have no need to see this again, and it is only worth a Low Bargain.
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