Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Pendle Hippodrome Theatre Company wowed the audience with their production of Roald Dahl’s ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.’ Directed by Stevan Manley, this production was a visual treat, with a cast of excellent players. It was a joy to watch, innovative, engaging, with memorable performances throughout. Filling the rear wall of the stage, continuing onto flats left and right, were LED video walls. Huge, brightly coloured sweets filled the screens as the audience took their seats. I thought that the use of the screens with stage pieces was excellent. Trucks rolled on for Wonka’s small franchise; a shop interior with serving counter, stage right, the Bucket’s house, a cramped and crowded kitchen set beneath the grandparents' bed, stage left. The corresponding videos timed to perfection. The video screens used to wonderful effect throughout, were impressive. ‘Vidiots,’ the scene where Mike jumped from screen to screen before entering the TV was excellent. I had it on good authority that Stevan designed the first set of Oompa Loompa costumes to grace the stage. These were hilarious, requiring the wearer to walk on their knees. The whole auditorium burst into laughter as they appeared on stage and started to dance. A memorable moment indeed. The glass elevator scene looked fantastic, it rose elegantly into the night sky, smoothly descending without glitch.

Musical Director Lisa Manley created strong harmonies with her cast, when they sang together it sounded magnificent. Soloists were strong, confident, accents remarkable even in vocal form. There were a variety of different musical styles throughout this production expertly handled by Lisa and her orchestra. Sound by Marcus Whitaker, ran smoothly, with a great mix of vocals to orchestra. Microphones were clear with no dropouts or feedback. Sound effects timed perfectly.

Choreographer Helen Cheung gave the audience bright, dynamic routines, especially the Oompa Loompa’s many dance interludes. These were high energy, with brightly coloured costumes and lots of levity. Differing styles of dance, including a Bavarian routine ‘More of Him To love’ and the more contemporary style of ‘The Queen of Pop’ all performed with high energy from the cast, ensured there was something for everyone to enjoy.

Technical elements played a huge part in this production. The huge video wall projecting various locations was spectacular. Lighting the stage to complement the video wall takes precision. Adam Horsfield created the lighting plot. Spotlights were tight, the scenes within the factory lit perfectly, creating atmosphere throughout. I particularly enjoyed the lighting for the glass elevator scene, it was soft, beautifully crafted, the magic of the scene exceptional.

It is worth mentioning that a huge team of artists worked on costumes, wigs, makeup, and props. With the wardrobe department making many of the costumes by hand. Pauline Pilkington and her team produced astounding costumes, including Wonka’s famous purple tailcoat and the miniature Oompa Loompa. The visual effect of Violet as she inflated was superb. Wigs by Sophie Greenwood and makeup by Anna McKeown looked great, I loved the stylings of Mr. Salt, tanned with luxurious black hair and a graceful grey streak running through it, he was a man of wealth no doubt about it. Props by Julie Scott, Jackie Edington, and Olivia Riley were many and varied, the attention to detail excellent. All departments ran smoothly under the watchful eye of stage manager Paul Thompson and his Assistant Stage Manager Penny Hatfield.

Taking on the role of Charlie Bucket was Heidi Grimshaw. Heidi had a strong stage presence, with excellent timing and a strong vocal range. Bringing a sense of humility to the role, Heidi ably navigated the script. Energetic and versatile, Heidi had great chemistry with her fellow actors, I thought the duet with Wonka ‘The View from Here,’ was beautiful, an exceptional performance from Heidi.

Dan Mason played everyone’s favourite candy man Willy Wonka. Dan was astonishing in this role, his accent, and mannerisms exacting. His delivery was great, especially the asides and witty retorts. The patter song, ‘Strike That Reverse It’ a veritable tongue twister was confident, with clear projection. He looked excellent in his costume, a full, rounded performance from Dan.

Grandpa Joe was played by David Smith. David looked to be having a fantastic time celebrating with Charlie, ‘I’ve Got a Golden Ticket,’ tentatively making his way out of bed then throwing himself into a vigorous dance routine. With his wig of wild hair and slight stoop, David embodied all the characteristics of Grandpa Joe with ease.

Playing the role of Mrs Bucket, Charlie’s mum, was Liz Rowell. Liz had a beautiful singing voice as she performed ‘If Your Father Were Here,’ melodic and emotional. Liz had a great on-stage chemistry with Heidi, her performance kind and gentle.

The Gloops were played by Blake Morris (Augustus) and Angela Schofield (Mrs Gloop). Both actors gave great performances. Blake immersed himself fully into this role, delivering his lines with an excellent accent. We saw, via the video wall his accent up the chocolate pipe, very impressive. Angela was hilarious as the motherly figure, coddling her son. Her costume complete with a string of sausages was perfect, hair and makeup great. The Bavarian dance routine was full of energy and colour, well done both actors.

I honestly did not recognise Tony Cousins as Russian businessperson Mr. Salt. With his expensive overcoat, tan and impressive black wig, Tony looked the part. His Russian accent was great, his posture commanding. When he danced the Barynya, a fast-paced routine including squatting and kicking, the audience applauded loudly. A wonderful performance from Tony. The spoilt brat, offspring of Mr Salt, played by Grace Hall, stomped and screamed for attention, to get her own way. Grace memorably performed ballet to a great standard. I loved the ballet that ended badly for her, as the squirrels ripped her limb from limb (the rapid switch out for a life size dummy allowed, arms, legs, torso, and head to be thrown around the stage) it was unexpected and very funny.

Cathryn Hunter was notable as Violet Beauregard, the gum chewing, tracksuit clad, precious and soon to be massive blueberry. Her costume designed to expand before the cast quickly disrobed her behind the dancing Oompa Loompa, worked well, she appeared through the melee growing larger and larger in a purple air-filled suit. Her solo, ‘The Queen of Pop,’ energetic with strong vocals. Jason Morris was comical as Mr Beauregard, with well timed delivery and an impressive accent.

I loved the pairing of Ashley Brennand and Catherine Cox as Mike and Mrs Teavee. This was a strong partnership of actors, creating a believable strained relationship. Ashley played the tech obsessive teen well, constantly playing video games whilst ignoring the world around him. With a smart mouth and high attitude, Ashley was great in this role. Mrs Teavee, slowly drowning in alcohol, crying out for her son’s attention was fantastic. Catherine Cox was hilarious as she became increasingly drunk. She threw herself totally into the role and the result were jolly comical. ‘That Little Man of Mine’ was visually funny, Catherine’s vocals were clear, notable. Her costume and wig looked great, adding to the charm of her character.

The grandparents, Grandma Josephine, Grandma Georgina, and Grandpa George performed by Lynne Atkinson, Gillian Mason, and Stephen Burrows, respectively. These were wonderful parts, each actor adding humour to their scene with well timed comic dialogue. Kudos to these actors for their ability to stay in bed for entire scenes without distracting from the action played out in front of them.

I really enjoyed the performances from Olivia Walmsley as Jerry and Sophie Greenwood as Cherry. A stereotypical representation of American news reporters, reporting on the Wonka competition. They were cheery, upbeat, and overly enthusiastic, both actors displaying a talent for great accents. Comical performance from these actors.

Selling her rotten cabbages from a wheeled cart, before upgrading to Wonka bars, then reduced to rotten veg again was Nicola Bithell as Mrs Green. With quick wit and a strong delivery, Nicola made the audience laugh aloud.

The whole cast and crew worked hard to create a fantastic show. It was magical, colourful, and fun. I would like to thank Pendle Hippodrome Theatre Company for inviting me to their production, thank you for the kind hospitality shown to my plus one and myself. I look forward to many more productions from them in the future.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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