Charlie and the Chocolate factory

Putting on the show in a school hall brings different challenges to a big venue with a big budget and I was very impressed to see the imaginative and creative way in which the production team had designed and delivered the magical world of Willy Wonka. It was so gratifying to see that with creativity, imagination and enthusiasm from both the creative team and the cast it was possible to bring the show to the stage without big bucks!  It was clear that this large cast were thoroughly enjoying being in the show and despite some first night hesitations, they brought the musical successfully to the stage.

All of the cast had clearly worked hard to develop their relationships and to bring the magic of Willy Wonka to Hungerford. Although a little shaky at the beginning (maybe some opening night nerves), the cast gained in confidence as the show went on and we were treated to some lovely performances. There were some very strong performances particularly from the youngsters playing Charlie and the other golden ticket winners as well as Willy Wonka himself. The principals were supported by two choruses, adult and youth who worked very hard playing a variety of roles including The Oompa Loompa’s, the townspeople and some rather vindictive and angry Squirrels. They were fully engaged in their performances each time they came on and brought a lot of fun to the show.

The cast had mastered the dance moves and although not always fully in synch, they danced with bags of energy and enthusiasm. There were a lot of different styles in the production from the Bavarian routine in ‘More of Him to Love’ to the robotic dance in ‘Vidiots’ and the more contemporary dance in “The Queen of Pop’.

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