Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

The sheer enormity of staging a production at an imposing and revered institution as the Wolverhampton Grand Theatre is no mean feat and West Bromwich Operatic Society have a history of meeting the challenge head on. 

Adam Partridge’s production of the iconic “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” elicits superlative after superlative, so please bear with me. From the moment the curtain rises, and the orchestra strikes up you found yourself marvelling at the imagination and talent of this prestigious company.  Karl Hugo stamped his authority on the legendary character of Willy Wonka; from the moment he stepped on the stage. You were immediately drawn to his magnetic stage presence and he maintained it throughout the entire production – his only rival was the title character, Charlie Bucket, played with supreme confidence and incredible talent by Theo Traat who complemented Karl as if they had been working together for many years – their on-stage intuition for each other was a joy to watch. (The role was shared with Edward Jones who I am reliably informed by colleagues was equally as proficient and talented) Theo’s voice and acting was well beyond his years and left a lasting impression that I feel privileged to have witnessed.

The success of any production is only guaranteed when you have a great team and the supporting characters in this production were just that. Charlie’s mom, Mrs Bucket, played with tenderness and sympathy by Holly White was the voice of reason but loved her son and gave a moving rendition of ‘If Your Father Were Here’. Not forgetting the Grandparents, Grandpa Joe, a superb characterisation by Simon Pugh had an amazing rapport with Theo’s character which reached beyond the footlights.  Grandma Jospehine, Grandpa George and Grandma Georgina played by Liz Jeffries, Greg Yates and Sally Pugh respectively had some great comedic moments as they languished in the four-poster bed, an amazing piece of scenery, all played with perfection.

But it’s the outrageous families and co-holders of a Wonka Golden Ticket that are the filling in this theatrical confection. Some great moments ensued as we met the cast of characters: Augustus Gloop, played with great maturity by Sam Broomhall-Tighe and his mother Mrs Gloop, played by Amy Sandford; Charlotte Farmer’s Veruca Salt and Dan Smith’s Mr Salt; the amazing voice of Keisha Riley’s Violet Beauregarde and Mr Beauregarde played by Theo Pitter and Charlie Pugh’s Mike Teavee and Emma Wetherall’s Mrs Teavee, what an array of talent, all having their moment to shine and all taking it with a vengeance with an appreciative audience just lapping it up.

Cameos from Sally Pugh as Mrs Green, Denzy Davies as Jerry and Cherry played by Lisa Metcalfe added to the pleasure of the evening. Some amazing ensemble work only added to the sheer enjoyment of this production with their energy and enthusiasm,

The iconic moments were also superbly portrayed – the Oompa Loompas sequences were pure joy and the Great Glass Elevator with Willy and Charlie giving a show stopping performance of ‘The View from Here’ brought tears to the eye.

The on stage talent was ably supported by those offstage – extremely efficient scene changes under the direction of Stage Manager Jen Mckinnon and Assistant Stage Manager Will Latus, breathtaking projected backdrops operated by Nicola Howarth and superb scenery from Scenic Projects plus amazing sound and lighting from Drew White the Grand Theatre Team and a great Props Team of Chris Harrison, Jen Mckinnon and Graham Quinn, Wardrobe supervised by Jan Cole and The Wig Room Wigs and Make Up and Hair support from Paul Herrington-Hurley all combined to create a truly remarkable evening’s theatre.

My thanks to everyone at West Bromwich Operatic for their hospitality and warm welcome as always.  I look forward to the next time with eager anticipation.

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