Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

I was absolutely delighted to be able to return to CYO to see them perform and what a show it was! The musical, based of course on the book by Roald Dahl, has been enhanced by the writers of Hairspray, to add additional songs and not forgetting the original songs from the film of course. 

The production follows the story of young Charlie Bucket, who’s positivity is a shining light, despite his family’s poverty – the family of six relying solely on eating cabbages. However, one of Charlie’s greatest joys in life is chocolate, especially Wonka bars, and luckily for him Wonka is finally reopening his factory – offering a tour for five golden ticket winners. Charlie eventually gets his hands on a ticket, and his life is about to change forever. 

CYO generally double cast and I was fortunate to see William Kenyon as Charlie on the Wednesday evening. What an absolute joy to experience such a talented young man lead a show in which he barely leaves the stage. Perfect vocals and character provided a professional standard of performance, and he is certainly one to watch or the future.

CYO aften use adults where they need them, and Jordan Dickin as Willy Wonka was one of those people needed! His characterisation, acting and vocal performance was sublime! Genuinely brilliant, but I have come to expect quality from Jordan, and he never disappoints whether he’s on stage or directing. 

The role of Grandpa Joe on the Wednesday was played by Jac Owens and to be honest I believed everything about him. His relationship with William was excellent and they had such a great rapport on stage. The other 3 grandparents – Joanne Morris, John Davies and Christine Kempell added the scene humour with cracking one liners that left me chuckling away. Mrs Bucket played by Olivia Evans, gave a heart wrenching performance of If Your Father Were Here (one of the new songs) and I sat there thinking this is so real, she made it believable and therefore the delivery of the song was fabulous. 

The other 4 children - Augustus (Blue Evans), Veruca Salt (Alys Brown-Price) Violet (Alys Mitchell) & Mike (Gwyn Llywarch) were excellent. Each child has a new song written for them which most of the feature as their respective parent sings the lead vocal. But each took their moments very well indeed and I must mention Alys who sang Violets lead exceptionally well. What a lot of people don’t know, is that this version is the Broadway musical where the kids, aside from Charlie were played by adults so the keys can be tricky. But Alys nailed “Queen of Pop”! Their respective parents on the night – Mrs Gloop (Hannah Green, Mr Salt (Rhys Morgan), Mr Beauregarde (Llew Richards) & Mrs Teavee (Ffion Moore) were excellently portrayed. It was hard to work out their actual ages but regardless of that, they all gave a very strong performance all night. 

There are 3 integral cameos in this version – Cherry played by Soul Harkess, Jerry played by Zach Davies ( the 2 reporters) and Mrs Green played by Ela Mair Thorne. The 2 reporters link each child winner and have some very funny scenes. Both charcters came across very well for the duration of the performance. Mrs Green, sells cabbages to Charlie and is the local street seller. It is she who sell him the winner Wonka bar, which is of course a small twist to the film’s storyline. She has some brilliant one liners, which she delivered to perfection. 

CYO always have a very strong ensemble, and this show was no exception. Whether it was Violets Divas, Ballet Dancers or The Oompa Loompas everyone gave everything to perform to the highest possible standard. Well Done! 

Onto the production itself…. technically one of the best shows I have seen! The set, hired from Scenic was exquisite! From the Video wall and Elevator to the Chocolate Factory machines, the Grandparents bed to the candy shop, it was faultless and added so much to the magic needed for this musical, expertly handled by CYO’s stage crew. The orchestra led by Bridget Radford, was spot on! Great balance and musicianship in what is a tricky score. Special shout out as always to sound and lighting team as whenever I am at The Lyric, it is always brilliant, and this was no exception! 

Dan Williams had a clear vision which he executed brilliantly in what I understand is his last show with CYO.  Getting this show right is not easy! It can be overdone & over produced but Dan nailed it in every way. He clearly worked so hard with Bridget and Rachel (Choreographer) in what he wanted and they delivered. He will be sorely missed I am sure of that.  

Unfortunately, I cannot always make the show week during February half term, but I will try and get back in 2026 for what I am sure will be another smash hit musical. 

 

© NODA CIO. All rights reserved.