Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

This was the ideal vehicle to show off the attributes of this group of 41 talented youngsters aged between 8 and 15 years. From the opening well known number “Candy Man” to the closing medley they treated the full house audience to a feast of colourful costumes, enthusiastic singing and step perfect choreography. 15 year old Isaac Masson made an impressive Willie Wonka in his purple frock coat and top hat displaying excellent acting skills - especially in his rapport with Charlie - along with a strong singing voice especially in one of my favourite songs “Pure Imagination” and in the duet “The View From Here” with Charlie. Harper Paterson as Charlie Bucket was outstanding. She too had a strong singing voice and showed excellent acting skills running the gamut from the disappointment in not initially finding one of the golden tickets to the excitement of eventually finding one as displayed in the number “I’ve Got A Golden Ticket” with Grandpa Joe. Grandpa Joe was well played by 14 year old Renee Masson and you could really believe he was the fount of all knowledge – even if some of it was a bit doubtful! 13 year old Ellie Newlands was another who gave a very strong performance as Charlie’s mother Mrs Bucket – the family breadwinner – her rendition of “If Your Father Was Here” was very touching. The other golden ticket winners and their parents – Lennox Lobban (Augustus Gloop), Amelia Boddington (Mrs Gloop), Olivia Stewart (Veruca Salt), Evie Watt (Mr Salt), Ariel Van Der Post (Violet Beuregarde), Ella Robertson (Mr Beuregarde), Orrin Masson (Mike Teavee) and Maisy Mckay (Mrs Teavee) – all gave strong support in their interpretations of their “imperfections” which many of the parents in the audience were able to relate too! Strong support was given by Brooke Duffus (Grandma Josephine), Airyn Duffus (Grandma Georgina) and Mylo Walker (Grandpa George) – I liked the “J & J” and “G&G” patches on the foot of the bed quilt included by the props team. A pair of actors who had the audience in stitches at their every appearance were the diminutive market sellers Mr & Mrs Green delightfully played by Thomas King and Nylah Sim. The 17 scene changes were well handled by the stage crew considering some of the set pieces were quite bulky. I particularly liked the Candy Shop complete with traditional sweet jars - it was very tempting not to go up on stage and buy a bag of pear drops! The 8-piece band under Musical Director Rob Fryer handled the various styles of music, some with difficult key changes, very well always supporting but never overwhelming the young voices. Congratulations to everyone involved in bringing this wonderful production to the Haddo House Hall stage.

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