Charlie and The Chocolate Factory

ROALD DAHL’S CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY is a colourful musical interpretation of the well-known book from 1964.    Following the success of the two film adaptations, 1971 and 2005, Sam Mendes was the driving force behind the eventual project.

The costumes were amazing with many changes of costume for the huge cast.   Everyone’s costume suited their character and were relevant to the story; night clothes for those in bed, traditional purple for Willy Wonka, stunning squirrel outfits and many, many colourful Oompa Loompas.   

The sets were excellent and varied.   Projection was used to great effect and these were colourful and effective.  These included various countries around the world when featuring golden ticket winners and the inside of the factory.  Props were very good and ranged from the cabbages, trolley, bits and pieces that were needed for the TV show.  The Bed/Bucket household was little short of a masterpiece of invention and construction and drew gasps from the audience when it was brought on.   The elevator must have given the creative team nightmares but the result was awesome!

The sound was solid with voices in time with one another and the music.  The singing was of high quality, strong and great diction.    The lighting was inventive and transformed as the scenes moved from the grey world of the Bucket Household to the bursts of colour for the round the world scenes of the ticket winners, to the Chocolate Factory interior.  The use of green spotlights was very effective and I loved the bright, shining moon! 

This was a production of outstanding quality.  Every single member of the cast: principals and ensemble were totally engaged and engaging and immersed in their characters.   Some of my favourite characters: chewing gum addict Violet (Rhianon Mone), Mrs Teavee as interpreted by Michelle Anderson was just perfect, Richard Bond as Grandpa Joe gave us a delightfully lovable and energetic old man.  Robin Walton as Willy Wonka was enchanting, slightly sinister but always engaging.   Tabitha Allnutt as Charlie had a massive amount of charisma and talent and shone throughout the performance.    I cannot adequately put into words how every individual: creative team, backstage crew and onstage talent, put enormous effort and life into this glorious evening which really was a world of pure imagination.  The production was an excellent choice for the group as it enabled a large number of the group to showcase their individual talent as well as making good use of the ensemble.    It was a show of exceptional standard and excellent value for money.   BAOS have a reputation for producing high quality shows and this show is another addition to their growing list of achievements.  

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