West End Wednesday: CHARLIE & THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is a 2013 musical, based on the book of the same name, by author Roald Dahl. The musical tells the story of Charlie Bucket, an only child who lives with his Mum, Dad and both sets of grandparents in a shack beneath the railway arch. When the world renowned, mysterious and eccentric owner of the nearby chocolate factory, Willy Wonka, runs an opportunity to win a visit around his secret factory, Charlie is set on getting his hands on a ticket and meet his hero. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is a tale about love, kindness and above all, pure imagination.
The show received its first reading in 2010 in New York City and they sought to produce the musical as quickly as possible, setting their sights on a London run first. The show was initially slated to open at the prestigious London Palladium in 2013, but later on in 2012, the producers announced they had opted to premiere the musical at theTheatre Royal Drury Lane instead. The show was scheduled to open for preview on 17 May 2013, however due to issues with receiving stage engineering late, the show was postponed, opening for previews five days later.
The production had a book by David Greig and a score by Hairspray writers, Scott Wittman and Marc Shaiman. The mammoth production, including the iconic great glass elevator, was designed and costumed by Mark Thompson. Sam Mendes directed with Peter Darling choreographing, and the production was lit by Paul Pyant. The production opened with mixed to positive reviews from critics citing that the spectacle of the production and the performances of the cast were to be applauded, however, the main consensus was that the book and the score were underwhelming.
The opening night cast included Douglas Hodge as Willy Wonka, Nigel Planer as Grandpa Joe, Paul J. Medford as Mr Beauregarde, Jasna Ivir as Mrs Gloop, Clive Carter as Mr Salt and Iris Roberts as Mrs Teavee. The roles of the children were split between 4 actors, with Charlie himself being played by Jack Costello, Tom Klenerman, Isaac Rouse and Louis Suc. The production was a roaring success with audiences and still holds the record for the most money grossed in a week by a single show in West End history, standing at £1,080,260. The musical extended several times, welcoming new Wonka’s in the form of Alex Jennings and Jonathon Slinger, before the production finally closed on 7 January 2017. The production was nominated for seven 2014 Olivier awards, winning two.
The musical transferred to Broadway in Spring 2017. The Broadway production underwent extensive rewrites as well as changes made to the production team. Producers wanted to bring in more songs from the 1971 film Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, which had been penned by Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley. The original production had already included the hit ‘Pure Imagination’, however ‘The Candy Man’ and ‘The Oompa Loompa song’ were also added. Jack O’Brien was brought on to direct, with Mendes retaining a producing credit, and Joshua Bergasse joined to re-choreograph the show. Mark Thompson remained as scenic designer, however he redesigned his original set pieces for the new run. They also made the creative decision to cast adults in the child roles, with the exception of Charlie.
The production opened for previews on 28 March at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre, with Christian Borle starring as Willy Wonka, John Rubenstein as Grandpa Joe, Alan H. Green as Mr Beauregarde, Kathy Fitzgerald as Mrs Gloop, Ben Crawford as Mr Salt, and Jackie Hoffman as Mrs Teavee. The role of Charlie was again alternated, this was by Jake Ryan Flynn, Ryan Foust and Ryan Sell. The Broadway production opened with mixed to negative reviews, again claiming issues involving storytelling with the addition of underwhelming visuals. The production closed on 15 November 2017 after 27 previews and 305 performances.
The producers opened a replica version of the Broadway show as a US national tour on 21 September 2018. A second non-equity US tour launched in January 2020, which is currently on pause due to the COVID-19 pandemic and is set to relaunch in September 2021.
The show has also toured Australia and launched various productions internationally.
With two cast albums to try Besties, get involved!
Cast recordings available on streaming services.
FACTS:
Music: Marc Shaiman (Leslie Bricusse & Anthony Newley)
Lyrics: Marc Shaiman, Scott Wittman (Leslie Bricusse & Anthony Newley)
Book: David Greig
Theatre: Theatre Royal Drury Lane
Run: 22 May 2013 – 7 January 2017 (Around 1500 performances)
OLIVIERS:
(NOMINATED) Best New Musical, Best Actor in a Musical – Douglas Hodge, Best Performance in a Supporting Role in a Musical – Nigel Planer, Best Set Design – Mark Thompson, Best Theatre Choreographer – Peter Darling.
(WON) Best Costume Design – Mark Thompson, Best Lighting Design – Paul Pyant.
