Charlie and the Chocolate Factory – The Musical – Bord Gais Energy Theatre – Review

CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY – THE MUSICAL – Produced by Playful Productions
05 December – 07 January 2024

Do you have a golden ticket? Charlie does, although maybe that’s jumping the gun a little. When it is announced that the great Willy Wonka will open his mysterious Chocolate Factory for one day only, it is the cause of much excitement. Five tickets have been placed in Wonka bars and the lucky children who find them will be allowed to see the inside of the factory. Charlie Bucket lives in poverty with his family, as they struggle to survive. When he finds a coin he decides to buy a Wonka bar, and the rest, as they say, is history…

British author Roald Dahl wrote Charlie and the Chocolate Factory in 1964. The much-loved movie Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory was released 7 years later in 1971. Despite its status as a modern-day classic, Dahl was famously dismissive of the adaptation and one of its harshest critics. This Musical is an adaptation of the book and not the film, so expect several differences from the film. The most obvious ones are the Oompa Loompas are tall and silver, but there are others including the Geese and Golden Eggs Room are replaced with the original Squirrels. It also has a new collection of songs although “The Candy Man” and “Pure Imagination” remain.

The Musical has book by David Greig, music by Marc Shaiman and lyrics by Shaiman and Scott Wittman. Shaiman is responsible for the music in many Hollywood films, such as Sister Act (1992) and Hairspray (2007). This is a new production by Playful Productions which is currently touring the UK and Ireland. Playful Productions are regulars in the West End of London and currently have productions including Wicked and Moulin Rouge.

Everything is coming up Wonka at the moment, with the release of the prequel film ‘Wonka’ starring Timothée Chalamet this week. While the book itself has nothing to do with Christmas, the film has become a Christmas favourite and is shown every year on TV. There is certainly a ready-made audience for this production, with parents and children both looking forward to it.

Much of the enjoyment of the film was down to the performance of Gene Wilder as Wonka. In this production, Gareth Snook takes the role. Smook is a regular on stage and also has several TV and film appearances. While no one will ever compare with Wilder, Smook plays Wonka as an intense and slightly sinister individual, along with a touch of a clown. His performance is one of the highlights of the production. Several young actors play Charlie Bucket, so who you see depends on the night you attend the production. Isaac Sugden was Charlie on the night of this review, and he handled the difficult job with some style. Another performer worthy of a mention is Kazmin Borrer, who is suitably bitter and nasty as the spoiled Veruca Salt.

The production starts a little slow, but it really comes alive after the interval when we get to see the inside of the factory. The many unusual rooms of the Chocolate Factory are created using large screens which fill the back wall of the set, although some unusual props are wheeled out onto the stage also. It’s an engaging production and few expenses are spared. It’s difficult to capture the magic of this book live on stage, but this production makes an impressive attempt to bring Dahl’s vision to life.