Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Roald Dahl described the setting of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory as a fantastical and magical wonderland and that's exactly what HC Vocal and Performance Academy delivered with the musical version of the story. Not only was this a visual explosion but the huge cast provided energy, excitement and wonderful performances in this action packed production.

The Academy had really gone to town, ensuring that the staging and visual effects matched the descriptive detail of Dahl’s writing. The costumes were bold and striking with numerous changes for every cast member, all colours and small details taken into consideration creating unity on stage. The large sets were striking with Wonka’s gates a key element, the raised Grandparents wooden framed bed sturdy and effectively rickety looking. The large wheeled on pieces were scene stealers although I would possibly look at sight lines at times as some of these did hide the main action, nonetheless they were used to great effect in large ensemble numbers. The real triumph of the staging was the hydraulic lift used to raise Charlie and Willy in the elevator in the final scene - a great finale giving the performers a great spotlight for their final number.

The props and extra little details really brought the production to life, from Wonka bars available to purchase on arrival (I can vouch they were delicious!) to huge oversized lollipops, chocolates and sweets bringing the Pat Howard Hall to life. So much time and effort must have gone into all these extra little effects really creating the vision that not only the audience expected but that Mr Dahl himself imagined for his story. Huge well done to all of the helpers behind the curtains that put in the hours to make this a colourful and visual celebration of one of the world’s most famous stories.

Director Holly Clifford must have been so proud of her cast for the energy and effort that was put into each performance. With such a huge membership Holly decided to have a split cast, in some roles quadruple cast, and if the principal roles were as good as those I saw on the Saturday evening then it’s no wonder she struggled to choose between her students.

Splitting the cast adds a huge workload as you basically have to rehearse the show 4 times with all of the principal characters dropping back into the ensemble on alternate nights. With very complicated routines and huge ensemble numbers this must have been a logistical nightmare yet didn’t show in the performance. The large ensemble worked hard and in great unity showing the close friendships and bonds that have been formed in the group. With leaps, twists, turns and lifts in every number there has to be huge trust in your fellow cast members and I didn’t spot any slips or falls at all. The second act saw a huge entourage of Oompah Loompahs take over these massive showcase numbers with the routines slick and well choreographed with the stage flooding into the audience bringing the auditorium to life.

Every member of the ensemble, with ages from Minis to 16yr olds in the cast, looked to be having an absolute blast on stage with the vocals confident and strong against loud backing tracks. A number of the senior members took on a lot of the more intricate dance routines with Ellie Lofts, Seth Cohen and Lily Riley really standing out in these numbers for me. There is some serious talent in the dance ranks of the academy with routines being carried out with great power whilst pulled back with grace and refinement in the softer numbers. I would personally look at some of the scenes and whether the dances were required as a couple of times the main action on stage was blocked or distracted from by some of the, often very short routines. Whilst the dances were beautiful and really elegant I often found myself drawn to this rather than observing the action and story on stage.

This was a great choice of show for HC as not only do you have key lead roles but also a huge selection of principal and minor roles for the students to get their teeth into. Every single member of the performance I saw was really well cast and under fab direction really understood their characters and made them their own.

The Saturday night performance had two incredibly talented actresses in our lead roles with Amber Evans as Willy Wonka and Lacey Simpson as Charlie and both performers really impressed with not only their understanding of the intricate roles but their confidence and stage presence. Amber really showed off the multiple personalities of Wonka, she really captured his eccentric and unpredictable mannerisms with lines delivered with pace and precision. She managed to strike a perfect balance of Willy’s insecurity and unstable personality. Her vocals were delightful with the opening key songs of both Acts Candy Man and Pure Imagination getting each Act off to a lively start.

I’ve often seen Lacey Simpson in Comedy roles and it was lovely to see her take on a completely different character in Charlie. She handled the contrast of energy and nervousness perfectly, handling the role with real care and control. Her vocals were beautiful showing sensitivity in Letter from Charlie whilst knowing when to belt out the big notes when required. The final duet with Amber in The View From Here was the vocal standout of the night - the two vocalists combining perfectly with some really lovely harmonising and respect for each other in the song.

Charlie’s family play a very key role in Act One as the story develops and all the grandparents were well characterised with Ruby Stockdale, Freya Thompson and Taylor Harland delivering the grumpy bed bound relatives really well. Avea Calvert was brilliant as Charlie’s guardian Grandpa Joe. wonderfully made up with grey wig and moustache Avea really captured the story telling and nurturing grandparent. Her movement as the elderly invalid never dropped and her tales from the past were delivered with real personality and passion. 

I had forgotten in the musical how much of a key role Charlie’s mum, Mrs Bucket plays yet Victoria Lightfoot was wonderful in the role. Her compassion for Charlie was really well conveyed whilst her solo If Your Father Were Here not only delivered vocally but with real warmth and emotion.

Mrs Bucket is not the only parent with a vital role in the production with Mrs Teavee, Mr Salt, Mrs Gloop and Mr Beauregarde also heavily involved. George Richardson was fabulous as Violet’s Father, anxiously keen to promote his Daughter’s fame. His lines were delivered with real energy, his confrontations with Mr Wonka fraught and his emotions strained with Violet’s demise. Chloe Craig was a last minute stand-in as Mr Salt yet really delivered with a cold and cool Russian demeanour of the Diva’s Dad. Carefully balancing his own ego with the shrieking demands of his daughter.  Eleanor Murray was wonderful as the really tense and nervous Mrs Teavee, often turning to her “medicine” to cure her nerves; she really displayed a great understanding of Mike’s struggling mum. Her desire to connect with her son often strained and highlighted wonderfully when Mike is shrunk and a doll and she has him all to herself. Amelia Hooper was fabulous as Mrs Gloop, a really confident delivery of the role. Her number More of Him to Love was brilliant and Amelia got to show off this large personality with great characterisation and powerful vocals.

The lucky ticket winners were brilliantly cast with Jake Shaw as Veruca Salt, Peighton Temple as Mike Teavee, Holly Wake as Violet Beauregarde and Adele Lightfoot as Augustus Gloop. Their interaction in the factory and especially their deaths brilliantly acted out whilst all of them captured the details of their characters with lovely understanding.

Jake Shaw was brilliant as Veruca, strutting and waltzing across the stage in true princess style whilst the outbursts were piercing and almost menacing. A true Diva performance. Adele Lightfoot was wonderfully lethargic and grumpy as Augustus Gloop, the padding giving her the perfect look of hungry and bored Factory visitor. A great visual actress especially when being swept away in the chocolate river and her facial expressions were so funny when trapped in the tube. Holly Wake really owned the stage as the Internet sensation and Wannabee Z-List celebrity Violet. Her stage presence was sensational with every pose delivered with purpose, the selfie’s were taken with attitude and boy were her vocals delivered with power and sass - perfectly in character. Peighton Temple, our youngest principal as Mike Teavee was a revelation for someone so young. She captured the character perfectly from grumpy teen to demanding Tech addict. Her lines were so clear and the pace and delivery really exceptional. If this is how Peighton can portray a moody Teen aged just 9 then watch out for her in a few years time!!

Other key roles were really well delivered with Louisa Tevendale a brilliant roving reporter as Cherry, Freya Ward expertly delivering the news updates from her TV box and Mia Daniel the lovely cheery and full of life Vegetable seller, Mrs Green. All three actresses really brought extra energy and life to the scenes they were in adding to the overall impact of the show. 

This was possibly not only the biggest production technically by HC but also the most challenging with so many different characters and ensemble roles to fulfill yet the energy and drive from the whole cast was on display the whole performance. Holly really brought the whole cast together making great use of the stage and space available and supported by her huge team of Chaperones, Make-up artists, props and costume teams, stage crew and technical team really helped deliver a head turning production. 

The dance numbers began with a spin, we went into the world of Holly’s creation and myself and the audience definitely saw a production that defied explanation. Huge well done to everyone involved and thank you for the warm welcome for Peter, Michelle and I. I can’t wait to see what you have planned for Chitty in the Summer.

 

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