Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Having never read the Roald Dahl book, seen the film or previously seen a production of the musical I did not know what to expect but I was totally enthralled by the show – like a kid in a candy shop you could say. From the opening Ross McKenzie’s Willy Wonka had the audience eating out of his hand with excellent singing, acting and dancing. I loved his renditions of “The Candy Man”, “Pure Imagination” and was truly impressed by how he handled the difficult, tongue twisting lyrics of “Strike That, Reverse That”. He had a great rapport with young Ruben Ferrie’s Charlie Bucket who gave a superb performance fully deserving of the standing ovation he received at the curtain call. This youngster showed great confidence in all aspects of stagecraft with an especially strong singing voice whether in the excitable “I’ve Got A Golden Ticket” or the more thoughtful “A Letter From Charlie Bucket”. David Mitchell as Grandpa Joe was another actor who showed a great rapport with Charlie’s character showing all the grandfatherly traits one could wish for as expressed in his rendition of “Charlie, You and I”. Jessica Pass gave a very strong portrayal of a hard working single mother doing her best for her son and extended family and her heartfelt rendition of “If Your Father Were Here” was a delight. The exploits of Charlie’s fellow Golden Ticket winners and their parents – Augustus and Mrs Gloop (Molly Watt and Sandra Fuyre), Violet and Mr Beauregarde (Nieve Knox and Darren Handy), The Salts – Veruca, her father and brother (Jessica Taylor, Finlay McDonald and Blair Ruxton) and not forgetting the brattish Mike and his doting mother Mrs TeaVee (Kai Hutcheon and Heidi Cathro) – all gave strong performances and added much to the humour and morality of the story. Strong support was given by Laura Barclay (Grandma Josephine), Susan Kennedy (Grandma Georgina), Iain Kennedy (Grandpa George), Hilary Roberts (Cherry Sundae), Shelley Brandie (Jerry Jubilee) and Fiona Jeffrey (the enterprising Mrs Green). The ensemble sang and moved well whether appearing as townspeople, reporters, bavarian dancers and especially as the hard working Oompa Loompas. The corps de ballet were particularly impressive as they took part in “Veruca’s Nutcracker Ballet” dressed in full squirrel suits! The sets were simple, bold and colourful, as appropriate to the story, enhanced with excellent lighting. The costumes too were bright and colourful and appropriate to the characters – I was particularly jealous of Willie Wonka’s pink velvet tailcoat. The 11 piece orchestra under the baton of Kirsten Hammond made a rich sound and never overpowered the singers. Congratulations to everyone in Arbroath Musical Society for a first class production.

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