Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is based on Roald Dahl’s book of the same name. World famous Willy Wonka is opening the gates to his mysterious factory to 5 lucky winners of the golden tickets. The story follows Charlie Bucket, a poor young lad who is infatuated by Wonka’s chocolate factory and is desperate to find one of the golden tickets. However, he becomes increasingly disappointed as each of the other four golden tickets are found all over the world. Charlie finds himself in possession of the final golden ticket and takes his Grandpa Joe along for the tour of Wonka’s factory, including chocolate waterfalls, nut sorting squirrels, a glass elevator and the Oompa-Loompas to name a few. Charlie learns a valuable lesson throughout his tour, winning the top prize, Wonka’s chocolate factory.  

The show opened with Willy Wonka’s rendition of “The Candyman”. Wonka was played spectacularly by Alfie Pringle, not only can he sing and act, he is a brilliant dancer too. Alfie was able to bring to life the eccentricity of Willy Wonka. It’s key to note that the whole ensemble was made up of 82 young performers, singing beautifully throughout the show.  

Benjamin O’Brien, in the role of Charlie Bucket, portrayed Charlie’s determined yet hopeful personality really well. He had a great singing voice which blended well with Alfie’s when singing Pure Imagination. Charlie’s mother, Mrs Bucket, was played by Tilly Stephen-Smith who was nurturing and sympathetic to Charlie’s hopes and dreams. 

Charlie’s grandparents, played by Ben Marks (Grandpa Joe), Vik Rennie (Grandma Josephine), Eleanor Waterman (Grandma Georgina) and Bailee Carroll (Grandpa George), all brought a comical element to their roles, working well together as a family to support Charlie’s dreams. 

First to find a golden ticket was Augustus Gloop played by Ellie Hollenbeck. She had such an expressive face, reveling in how much Augustus loves chocolate! His mother, Mrs Gloop was played by Isabel Shone. Both Isabel and Ellie captured the German accent and comical nature of their relationship brilliantly. 

Next up was Veruca Salt, played by Jessica Henderson, she brought the bratty nature of the character to life along with Rupert O’Brien as her exhausted father, Mr Salt, trying to get everything that his daughter wants NOW! 

The third to find a golden ticket was Violet Bearegarde and Mrs Bearegarde played by Rosie Robb and Scarlett McMullen. They brought a sassy attitude to the stage and portrayed a believable mother/daughter relationship. Special mention has to go to Rosie dancing in the blown-up blueberry suit, it didn’t faze her at all! 

Evan Henderson played the fourth winner, Mike Teavee, obsessed with gadgets and uninterested in being parented by his mother played by Holly Robb. Holly brought to life the character as a stressed, American housewife and mother, wanting the best for Mike only for him to take no notice. 

All of the principal characters had remarkable voices, it was easy to forget you were watching a youth production, I was blown away by their talents. 

Sue Bond (Musical Director) provided some stunning musical numbers and all of the cast knew the songs well. The cast were supported by a live band, really bringing the musical numbers to life. 

The choreography was provided by Abbie McLellan. It was in-fitting with the context of the show with standout numbers such as the squirrel ballet, tap number for “The Candyman Reprise” and the UV lit intricate hand choreography in "Vidiots". 

The show was directed by Megan Jones and it was clear to follow the story from her direction. The set, props and space of the stage were well thought out, everything could be seen by the audience.  

The set was minimal but effective which enabled the youth cast to move pieces themselves such as the candy stand and the boat in Wonka’s factory. The audience were encouraged to use their imagination in terms of the glass elevator which was a rising platform disguised by a lot of dry ice, maybe a bit too much as Wonka and Charlie couldn’t be seen at one point! 

All of the costumes were colourful and fit the personalities of the main characters. The ensemble wore different colour T-shirts which was fitting with the bright theme inside Wonka’s chocolate factory. I particularly liked the attention to detail with some characters, such as Charlie only have one shoelace, reflecting just how poor the Bucket family are.

The lighting was extremely colourful and added an extra layer and excitement to the performance. Although all of the characters and ensemble could be heard, there were some issues with the sound and feedback from the microphones at times but this was out of the performers’ control. 

I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of talent on the stage for a youth production. Every single performer on the stage looked like they were having the best time. 

It was an enjoyable performance and I look forward to the next show Weldon Amateur Theatre School present.  

© NODA CIO.  All rights reserved 

 

© NODA CIO. All rights reserved.